Family of Choice
by TheDoctorAndSarah
Summary: The Doctor and Sarah Jane discover what the word "family" really means when they finally get married. Sequel to "Unfinished Business" 10/Sarah Jane. AU Also appearing: Jack, Martha, Wilf, the Brigadier, Harry Sullivan, Mickey, Alonzo *NOW COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

**URGENT NOTE:** As you may know, the BBC starts shooting the 50th anniversary special this week. If you'd like to see a proper tribute to Sarah Jane in the special, please consider signing the petition at www dot ipetitions dot com / petition/sarah-jane-smith-dr-who-tribute (automatic link removed because we don't want to break any rules) and passing it on to any groups you belong to. If we all pass it on, we can make a difference! Time (ironically) is of the essence! Thanks!

* * *

This story is a sequel to "Unfinished Business", in which ... well, if you're going to read it, head off now, so we don't spoil it for you. Still here? OK, then. In "Unfinished Business," the Doctor came back to Sarah Jane just before he regenerated, and wound up turning her into a Time Lord, er, Lady. Thrilled at the prospect of not watching her wither and die, he proposed. Now they're getting married.

For those who keep track, this is (obviously) AU. In addition to fixing The End of Time, there is no Luke, and the Sarah Jane Adventures haven't happened.

We hope you like it.

* * *

The Doctor hung by his knees and reached for the temporal converter. 'One day,' he thought, 'I should restructure this so I can reach that without doing my Krillitane impression.' Still, even hanging upside down he was in a great mood. Tonight was the wedding rehearsal, and his and Sarah Jane's friends would start arriving any minute. Already Martha had been here for a couple of days, helping Sarah with the last minute arrangements. Who knew there was so much to be done?

He tightened the last bolt and just hung there for another minute or two, marveling at his good fortune. For almost two centuries he'd bemoaned the fact that getting more involved with Sarah Jane would ultimately lead to heartbreak. Now his own regeneration, the worst moment of this life, had led to Sarah's becoming a Time Lord, and instead of losing her - or his life, for that matter - they were getting married. Inside, he let out a little cheer for the thousandth time in a month. Sarah should be awake by now, he thought, climbing down. Time to go get a good morning kiss.

* * *

Martha found herself caught up in the pervasive feeling of ... she could only describe it as "glee". She and Sarah Jane had spent the last few days getting ready for the wedding, and it hadn't even felt like work. More like a giant party that she was glad to be in on. Which it is, she reminded herself as she headed off to the kitchen for breakfast. "Good morning, Sarah Jane, all ready for the big day tomorrow?" she smiled excitedly.

Sarah was already up, dressed and making breakfast. "I hope so," she answered her. "It's a mixed blessing isn't it? I can't wait to marry the Doctor, but I'm terrified of the ceremony itself. I mean, what if I trip walking down the aisle, or the Brigadier gets stuck in Peru again, or Jack loses the ring, or... Oh, I really have to stop thinking this way," she laughed nervously at herself.

Martha put a reassuring arm around her. "It's all going to be fine, don't worry. Let's face it, nothing ever goes smoothly with the Doctor around, but it always works out all right in the end. And that's all you can hope for, right?"

"Right, hopefully everything that can go wrong will go wrong at the rehearsal tonight," said Sarah with her fingers crossed. "Oh, Goodness look at the time, I'd better finish breakfast. If I know the Doctor, and I do, he's starving right now. Watch, you'll see, in just a few moments, he'll come barging through the door and declare he's starving to death and that he's going to collapse if he doesn't eat soon. Then he'll smell breakfast and sit as close to the oven as he can watching it cook, asking every few minutes if it's ready yet," Sarah laughed as she pictured him. She was glad some things never changed. Five minutes later she had popped breakfast into the oven. Then she sat down to rest and sip her tea while she waited for it to cook.

A few moments later, the door burst open and the Doctor strode in. "Ah, Sarah," he said, standing her up, kissing her and then swinging her around. "If I don't get some breakfast soon, I'm absolutely going to collapse. Ooooh, what smells wonderful?" he asked, as he set her down and parked a chair outside the oven door, then sat astride it, staring at the oven's contents. "And how long until it's ready?"

Sarah's eyes twinkled with laughter as she looked over at Martha. "Bananas Foster French Toast Souffle. I haven't made it for you in a while, but today is special, so I went out of my way a bit. It'll be ready in about fifteen minutes. Hope you can hold on till then. Of course," she started giggling at him, "if you can't, I'll simply let you collapse 'til it's done. Then I'll just have to wave it under your nose 'til you come to."

He smiled at her. "Fifteen minutes, eh?" And with that, he did an exaggerated pratfall off the chair, sprawling himself over the kitchen floor.

Sarah's giggling turned into a hearty laugh. "You idiot, what am I going to do with you?"

Martha was stunned. Everyone she knew had always been so reverential towards the Doctor. She couldn't believe the way Sarah treated him, the way she'd been treating him ever since Martha had come back to help her. But then Martha had never seen him acting this way before, either. She had to admit he had apparently been behaving like a totally different man ever since Sarah Jane came back into his life. She had never seen him as happy as he was with her around. They were good for each other. Anyone could see that. "Boy, if I had known that all I had to do to get your attention was not take you so seriously, I'd have changed the way I think about you ages ago Doctor." She smiled at him fondly.

Sarah looked over at Martha. "Oh Martha, don't tell me you've been acting as if you're in awe of him all this time?"

Martha looked at the Doctor, who was still pretending to be out cold, and shrugged. "Well I **have **always been in awe of him. I mean he's a genius, and he's from another planet, and he's hundreds of years old, and he..."

Sarah placed a hand over Martha's mouth gently. "Oh please, whatever you do, don't start talking like that in front of him. He'll start to believe you, and then he'll start acting all serious and pompous about himself. I'll have to train him all over again."

"Oi," the Doctor said indignantly, not bothering to get up, "I resemble that remark."

"Oh yes you do," laughed Sarah even more, if that was possible. "Almost ready to be fed now?" She headed over to the oven to check on her souffle. "Looks like you only have a few more minutes to go." She moved over to let him look at it. "It's starting to poof up and I know how much you like to watch when it does."

"Ooo," he said excitedly, scrambling up so he could stare into the oven.

Sarah just chuckled and sat back in her chair.

Martha sat down next to him and watched the Doctor's child-like fascination with the souffle as it started rising.

"Allllmoooost done..." the Doctor said. "It's getting all fluffy."

She nodded and then looked back at the Doctor as he shouted, "That's it, the timer went off, it's ready Sarah Jane. Come take it out now, I'm starving."

Martha had to laugh at him.

Sarah took the souffle out and waited for it to cool down enough to cut. Then she scooped out the softest part of the souffle onto a plate and placed it in front of the Doctor. She put some out for Martha and then fixed a plate for herself. "If you think he's funny now, Martha, wait a few more months until we celebrate the Americans' Thanksgiving Day, otherwise known in the TARDIS as 'The Great Turkey Massacre'." Sarah Jane looked over at the Doctor, as his eyes suddenly began to glaze over.

"Mmmmmm..." he said, " turkey turkey Turkey TURkey TURKEY! I LOVE TURKEY!" He propped himself up on his elbows. "We should invite Martha and Mickey to come back and spend a few days with us that month," he said happily, shoving a large forkful of souffle into his mouth. "So what about it, Martha," he said, mouth still full. "Would you and Mickey like the two of us to come back for you when we decide it's Thanksgiving?"

Martha couldn't help but laugh. "I think I'll have to talk to Mickey about it first, thank you, but I have to warn you we may have other plans."

"Of course," Sarah Jane laughed. "If you're both free though, we'd love to have you come for a visit, especially if you're hoping we'll be serving turkey."

"TURKEY!" the Doctor burbled, happily devouring the souffle.

"Down boy," laughed Sarah Jane as she put more souffle on his plate. She'd expected the Doctor to be happy - she'd have been crushed if he wasn't - but this was over the top, even for him.

Before he could say anything, they heard footsteps and Jack Harkness stepped into the kitchen, a very stunned Alonzo Frame in tow.

"Well Martha," said Sarah. "Looks like the wedding guests are starting to arrive. Can you hold down the fort a while till I finish up a few last minute things?"

Martha smiled. "Absolutely."

"Thanks Martha." She walked up to Jack and gave him a quick hug. "Hello Jack and friend. Nice to see you both. Please forgive me for leaving just as you arrive, but I'm afraid I've got so much to do before the wedding that I may be up all night. "

Jack returned her hug, then held her out at arms length. "Don't rush off, sister, somebody owes me an explanation here. You look, uh ... different somehow." He recovered his composure. "You look even more amazing than I expected, if I may say so. Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Ah yes," the Doctor said, standing to meet them. "Sarah's a Time Lord."

"Actually, I prefer Time Lady, but yes, it's true," smiled Sarah happily.

Jack's smile didn't waver, but his eyes screamed confusion. "How is that possible?"

"Well," said the Doctor. "Right after I left you - Oh, hello, Alonzo, so good to see you - I went to see Sarah Jane to say goodbye before I regenerated, but I waited too long. I wound up blasting her with 500,000 rads of radiation, then sending my regeneration energy into her. The energy built her back up as a Time Lord, so rather than both of us dying, neither of us did. Simple."

"Of course," Jack said, shaking his head. "Simple." He decided not to ask why the heck the Doctor hadn't mentioned that he was on the verge of regenerating when Jack had seen him last. "Alonzo Frame, I'd like to introduce you to my family."


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah Jane looked over at the Doctor and gave him a nod of her head towards Jack, accompanied by a slight smile.

"The Doctor you already know, Alonzo," Jack continued, "and this is Sarah Jane Smith, his bride to be, and the lovely Martha Jones." He gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"That's Martha Smith now, Jack, I got married a while back, but we couldn't find you to send an invitation."

"Sorry about that," Jack said, but didn't elaborate.

"And anyway," Martha went on, "we didn't make much of a fuss about it," she said as she took Alonzo's hand to shake it. "Nice to meet you, Mister Frame."

"Well, who's the lucky guy?" Jack asked as Alonzo shook her hand. "Not Mickey Smith, right?"

"Wrong, Jack," Martha admonished. "And he's wonderful, so I don't want to hear a word about it."

"Of course," Jack smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Jack," Martha said.

"Well, I've got to leave," said Sarah Jane. "I'll see all of you later tonight at the rehearsal. I've made plenty of food, so help yourselves. Martha can tell you where everything is." She walked over to the Doctor and gave him a kiss. "See you later too darling. Please don't be late for the rehearsal."

Just then, a blue and purple blur about the size of a baseball bounced into the kitchen, headed straight for Jack's face. Instantly, the Doctor put out his hand and plucked it out of mid-air, and it dissolved into a mass of tentacles and eye stalks. "Norman, behave yourself," he said, smiling.

"Yeah, you keep that cephalopod away from me, or I won't be responsible for my actions," Jack said. 

The Doctor laughed and tossed Norman into the fridge so he could snack, then pulled Sarah into the hallway. "I'll miss you," he said.

"I'll miss you too," she said. "But, I have to finish everything, or there won't be a wedding tomorrow. I'll be done in time for tonight **if** I'm lucky and things go smoothly."

"Of course things will go smoothly," he smiled. "It'll be a great rehearsal and a beautiful wedding."

"Oh no, don't say that, you'll jinx me," Sarah Jane laughed. "Now be a good husband-to-be and kiss me goodbye so I can get to work."

He took her in his arms and kissed her. "Aren't you taking Martha with you?"

"No, wish I could, but I need her here to handle things on this end. I can manage picking up my wedding gown, the bridesmaid's gifts and then making sure all the last minute arrangements are correct and taken care of. Now please, don't you forget to make sure everything on your end is taken care of. The groomsmen have to have their tuxes, Jack has to have the rings, the coloring for the fountain has to be picked up and put in, and, oh, you have the list I left for you. Now wish me luck, I'm leaving while I still can." She stood on her tip toes, gave him a kiss on the nose and with a wave, she started down the corridor. "And don't forget you still have to pick up Wilfred!"

He just smiled and waved. He'd heard once that the groom's job is to get a tuxedo and show up. Somehow it didn't seem anywhere near that simple...

* * *

By the time the Doctor had set off to pick up Wilf, he was aching for the quiet. Jack was fun to have around, there was no question about that, but deep down inside, he was getting the jitters. Maybe it was having so many people on the TARDIS. Despite his happiness at the idea of marrying Sarah Jane, he had to admit to himself that he was still a solitary Time Lord. Having so many people around, and so ... intimately, it was a bit strange, and as he stepped out of the TARDIS he breathed in the fresh air and forced himself to relax.

The Doctor hadn't landed directly on the hill where Wilf did his stargazing; even though Donna was married and off in her own house, it was inconceivable that she wouldn't come back to visit her grandfather occasionally. But not tonight, thankfully.

The Doctor cleared his throat quietly to announce himself, and Wilf spun around from his telescope. "Good evening, sir!" he said, offering a smart salute. "Good to see you."

"And you. How's Donna?"

Wilf shook his head, laughing. "Finally happy. Not as happy as she was with you, I think, but it's amazing what one winning lottery ticket can do. Took her a week to check it, and even then I practically had to force her into it."

The Doctor smiled at that, remembering how he'd arranged it so that technically, her late father had given her the ticket as a wedding present. "I'm glad she's happy." He peeked into Wilf's telescope. "And speaking of happy, I've got a favor to ask you."

"You know I'd do anything you ask, Doctor," Wilf said. "Aliens threatening the world again, are they?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Wilf sat down on his stool, and the Doctor sat down on the ground next him. "Do you ... er ... remember when I said I'd be proud to have you as my dad? Well, I'd ... well, there's no easy way to say this. Wilfred, I'm getting married, and I'd like you to stand up for me as the father of the groom."

Wilf's eyes began to tear up, and it took a moment for him to answer. "It would be my honor, sir," he said quietly.

The Doctor stared at Wilf for a few moments. He really was the closest thing he had to a father -- or at least the closest thing to someone he'd **want **for a father. He wondered idly just how that had come about. Here was this man who'd come into his life through a series of coincidences, and had almost almost gotten him killed. And yet, the Doctor knew he'd do anything for him.

But then, didn't that describe most of his companions?

"The honor is all mine, Wilfred. Thank you."

"So," Wilf said, "tell me about the lucky girl."

The Doctor was suddenly a little bit uncomfortable. He knew that Wilf's preference was for the Doctor to be with Donna. But there had never been any romance between the two of them, or even a question about it. How many times had Donna been the first one to say "We're not together"? No, he was pretty sure that even Wilf knew that he could never have made a go of it with Donna, even if he hadn't been in love with Sarah. "Her name is Sarah Jane Smith, and I'm desperately in love with her."

He was quiet for a moment, and the Doctor was afraid he was going to say something more about Donna. Instead, he nodded and patted the Doctor on the back approvingly. "Does she make you laugh? You need that."

The Doctor stared at him, thinking about how lucky he was to know someone like Wilf. "Wilfred, she makes me laugh every day. She's made me happy from the moment I first laid eyes on her, centuries ago."

"Centuries? Don't tell me you were a fool and let that one go too."

The Doctor chuckled at his bluntness. "The worst kind of fool, I'm afraid. But when I saw you last, I was ... well, things weren't as chipper as I led you to believe. I was still dying, and all I could think about was getting back to her." He could see the guilt cross Wilf's face, and quickly added, "It worked out, though, and better than I could have hoped for." He stood, gesturing excitedly, as he explained. "It's kind of a long story, but instead of changing, I almost killed her, but instead she changed and now she's like me. So I'm ..." He stopped and took a deep breath.

"So you're not going to be alone anymore," Wilf finished for him.

"No, I'm not." He turned that around in his mind, still getting used to it.

"Good," Wilf said, standing up. "Because you're rubbish on your own, if you don't mind me saying so. So when do we leave?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah Jane's day had actually gone even better than she had expected it to. She even managed to show up on time for the wedding rehearsal. She walked into the hall wearing a blue pinstriped skirt suit that matched the Doctor's suit perfectly, except she was wearing a ruffled blue blouse and black pumps with blue bows on them instead of trainers. She had on a white baseball cap with a veil attached to it that said "Bride" on it in rhinestones, and she smiled at everyone as she walked in. "Hullo all, nice to see everyone again." She walked over to the Doctor and slipped a black "Groom" hat on his head.

"Sarah Jane!" the Doctor said, sweeping her up in a hug. "The guests are just starting to arrive, everything all right?"

"Better than alright," she smiled at him. "I managed to get everything done in record time, **and** get back in time to change. Like my new outfit," she asked him, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

He looked at her and laughed. "I love it. Positively timeless."

"Hi, hot stuff," Jack said as he walked over to them. "You know it's still not to late to give up this goofball and run off with me."

"Sorry Jack, he's taken, so stop trying to change his mind, and go chat up Alonzo," laughed Sarah as she put her arm possessively around the Doctor's waist.

"Rats," Jack laughed, with an exaggerated snap of his fingers, realizing she'd gotten the better of him. "Alonzo's busy soaking up the 'historical atmosphere'," Jack smiled.

"That's right, the last time Alonzo was here, we were hurtling towards the ground at a pretty good rate of speed," the Doctor said. "No wonder he was in that bar."

"Hey, you know, you two aren't even married yet and you already look like a couple of bookends," laughed Jack as he noticed what Sarah Jane was wearing.

"I've never known you to complain about good taste, Jack," the Doctor said. "Oh," he said excitedly, "Sarah, there's someone I wanted to introduce you to. Excuse us for a moment please Jack." He pulled her over to the bar, where Wilf had finally gotten that gin he'd wanted all day. "Wilfred Mott, I'd like to introduce you to my bride-to-be, Sarah Jane Smith."

Wilf fumbled for a moment, then put down his drink on the bar and shook her hand with both of his. "It's very nice to meet you, Ms Smith. I've read your 'History of UNIT' and I've been a big fan of yours ever since, didn't realize you were one and the same." He leaned in conspiratorially. "You look even better in person. The Doctor's explained the whole Time Lord bit to me. Congratulations."

Sarah Jane was charmed by him, she decided she liked this man on the spot. She flashed him a big friendly grin. "I can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you Mr. Mott. The Doctor has told me so many wonderful things about you, that I'm actually a big fan of yours."

Wilf blushed and brushed her off. "I think we're both fans of his," he said, gesturing towards the Doctor, who had suddenly made himself scarce. "He's told me about about some of the things you've gone through to be together. I'm afraid that radiation bit was my fault. I had no idea the last time I saw him he was ... you know... I thought it had all worked out, old fool that I am."

Sarah leaned towards him and whispered in his ear. "Just remember, if it weren't for you, this wedding wouldn't be taking place tomorrow." With that, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, it all turned out all right, then," he smiled.

Just then the door opened. The elderly gentleman seemed unassuming, but the moment he entered, he seemed almost to command the room. "All right then, where do I find the bride and groom?" he boomed.

"Brigadier," Sarah Jane cried out as she ran up and gave him a huge hug. "Oh, it's so wonderful to see you."

Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart hugged her, then held her out at arms-length. "Miss Smith, are you ....?" He turned a skeptical eye towards her. "Where is the Doctor?" he asked.

Before the Doctor could react, Jack snatched the Doctor's "Groom" hat, put it on, walked up to Sarah Jane and put an arm around her. He extended his hand out to the Brig. "Here I am Brigadier, how nice to see you again," he said, doing his best impression of the Doctor, right down to his body language and Estuary English accent. He raised his eyebrows as he held his head down and looked up at the Brig with a Doctor-like smile. "I'm sure you don't recognize me, but then, well...," he drawled out. "You know, regeneration and all. So nice of you and your wife to stand in as the parents of the bride at our wedding. Doesn't Sarah Jane look marvelous? Not that you don't look terrific too," he wiggled his eyebrows at him as Sarah Jane shook with laughter at Jack's take on the Doctor.

"You, the Doctor?" sputtered the Brig. "Impossible! Good heavens, this is even worse than I had imagined. And what have you done to Miss Smith? I demand an explanation."

The Doctor pushed Jack out of the way. "Don't mind him," he said, extending a hand to the Brigadier. "He's an idiot."

"Of that I have no doubt, and who might you be? Mind you I'm not one to be trifled with."

"**I** am the Doctor, Brigadier."

The Brigadier eyed him and twitched his mustache slightly at him. "Well, that seems a bit more reasonable." He turned and glared at Jack. "Thank goodness you're not that imbecile over there." He turned back to the Doctor. "Now about Miss Smith, I trust you have an explanation?"

"Yes, she's ..." He considered the full explanation, then changed his mind. "Through a series of events that border on a miracle, Sarah Jane has become a Time Lord."

Sarah Jane leaned on the Doctor's shoulder. "It's true, he is the Doctor, and I am a Time **Lady **now. Isn't it wonderful?"

Just then the Brig's wife Doris walked into the room and walked over to his side. "Hello Sarah dear, my you look positively amazing, what **have** you done to yourself?"

"Well, you might say that I've regenerated, so to speak," said Sarah as she gave her a hug. "And to save any more confusion, this is the Doctor now. He's regenerated too."

"Doris," the Doctor said, giving her a hug, "so good to see you again. I haven't seen you since you were the blushing bride. You look lovely."

"So nice to see you as well," said Doris smiling girlishly at him. "You look wonderful too."

The Brigadier coughed. "Yes, well now that we've said our hellos, I think it's time to mingle my dear. Shall we?" He handed her his arm.

Doris accepted it and turned to wave over her shoulder at the Doctor and Sarah, smiling. "That means we're going to go and find the bar."

As they walked away, the Doctor saw them come upon an arriving Harry Sullivan, along with, the Doctor was glad to see, Harry's date for the evening.

"Well, hello, old th--" Harry stopped in mid-sentence as he got a good look at Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane laughed at his surprise with a wicked twinkle in her eye. "Not quite an 'old thing', am I Harry?"

"My word," Harry said, "I must admit, I'm quite taken aback."

The Doctor leaned over. "She's a Time Lord," he said. "Long story."

"Aw, you went and told him," Sarah Jane cried out. "You've gone and spoiled all my fun. I was going to make him suffer a while with it first, and I prefer Time **Lady**," she laughed.

"I think you've made me suffer quite enough already," Harry said good-naturedly. "And might I introduce you to my girlfriend, Betty."

"It's very nice to meet you, Betty," the Doctor said, offering his hand. "You couldn't be out with a nicer fellow."

"Thank you, Doctor," Harry said.

Sarah Jane gave Betty a quick hug. "Very nice to meet you, I'm so glad you could come."

"Thank you both," said Betty. "It was so nice of Harry to bring me here," she smiled at Harry affectionately. It was obvious that she was smitten with him.

The Doctor was glad to see it. He'd been even more worried about Harry's reaction to Sarah marrying him than he had been about Wilf's reaction to him marrying Sarah, and that was saying something. So to see that Harry and Donna were both happy with someone else... it let him off the hook, in a way.

Just then, Lilly came up to Sarah and whispered in her ear. "You've got something really dirty looking on the bottoms of your shoes, Sarah Jane. Slip them off for a second and let me go clean them off before you start the rehearsal."

"Thanks," said Sarah as she quickly slipped off her shoes. Lilly scooped them up to go clean them for her. "I'll be right back with them," she said as she headed for the loo. After a few moments she came back and helped Sarah get her shoes back on.

It had gone on like this for another fifteen or twenty minutes; friends arriving and either getting the "she's a Time Lord -- er, Lady, now" or the "I'm marrying a very gifted plastic surgeon" explanation, depending on whether they were friends of the groom or friends of the bride who weren't privy to her time traveling adventures.

Finally, it was time to start the actual rehearsal, and the the minister stood at the head of the room. "Now then, is everyone ready to start?" he asked.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor looked around at everyone. "I'm ready," he said.

"Me too," chimed in Sarah Jane.

The Minister began directing traffic. "All right, that's the bride and groom. I need the rest of the wedding party over here, and that includes the ring bearer and the flower girl, as well."

It occurred to the Doctor that the Minister looked particularly serious and stern, and he idly wondered how long it would take Jack to irritate him. He'd been absolutely giddy since his arrival, and the Doctor was sure he had something up his sleeve.

But things did seem to go smoothly as everyone moved to their places. The bride and all of her bridesmaids lined up as though they'd been ready for this for years, and perhaps there was some truth to that. Even the groomsmen seemed to have some extra spring in their step.

After the ringbearer, Carter, and flower girl, Giselle -- both children of Sarah's friends -- had done their job, Martha and Jack started slowly down the aisle, followed by Carter's mum Corrine, and Harry Sullivan and Giselle's mum Lilly and Mickey after them. When they got to the front of the aisle they took their places.

"Perfect," said the minister. "Remember Captain Harkness, as soon as you're done walking down the aisle, you'll need to go and stand to the left of Doctor Smith and his father, and Mrs. Smith, you stand over there, next to where Ms Smith will be, and ... my goodness, there are entirely too many Smiths in this room," he laughed. "All right, now you stand there and wait as everyone else enters. Tomorrow there will be music that will help you keep the right pace. Oh, and remember, everyone, start with your left foot please," he added. "So at this point the wedding march will start."

The bridal party did as ordered and stood in their places smiling patiently.

The Doctor was more than a bit nervous, but tried not to show it. After all, he reminded himself, this wasn't even the real wedding.

"Now, Miss Smith, when the wedding march begins," he heard the Minister say, "you start down the aisle with your parents. If you could start walking please."

Sarah Jane did start walking, and she looked happy, but slightly nervous too. 'In less than 24 hours this will all be over,' she thought. 'I only hope I don't trip walking down the aisle.'

When she arrived in her place, the minister smiled and said, "Who gives this woman to this man?"

"Her mother and I do," the Brigadier intoned.

Sarah Jane kissed them both.

"Wonderful, that was just perfect" said the minister.

Sarah Jane saw only the Doctor. She smiled up at him as the Brig and Doris put her hand into his. The Doctor smiled lovingly at her and started to relax. 'This is what it's all about,' he reminded himself.

"Now then, the Groom has his father with him," said the Minister. "So next I will ask, who gives this man to this woman?"

"I do," Wilf said, looking very pleased with himself.

"Darn," laughed Jack quietly. "Now I'm sorry I agreed to be the best man," he said to the Doctor. "Can I switch places with you, Wilf?" he asked. "I would so love to have Alonzo up here next to me and to be able to say, 'His Mother and I do'."

Wilf chuckled at the thought.

Just as the Doctor was wondering if the minister had heard the comment, the minister coughed with displeasure and glared at Jack.

'That didn't take long,' the Doctor thought. "Jack, could you at least **try** to behave yourself?"

"If we're quite ready to proceed," the minister said impatiently. "At this point we'll start the ceremony, but first, I need the two of you come forward to this kneeler here and kneel down, so I can bless you both."

Sarah Jane and the Doctor took each other's hands, stepped forward, and then knelt down.

The assemblage began to titter, then giggle, then laugh very loudly.

Sarah Jane and the Doctor looked at each other. They were both confused.

Finally, Sarah got up and walked over to where the Doctor was, to see if she could spot anything amiss. As she stood up, she looked over at the Doctor. She jumped in surprise a little, then started giggling. She checked the bottoms of her shoes. She gave Lilly a look, that said, 'Oh you!' but in a few moments, she was choking with laughter. Then she got back on her knees and then told the Doctor to get up and look at her shoes and his own. He had much the same reaction as Sarah Jane. Soon he was doubled over with laughter.

As the two of them knelt down, everyone could again see the soles of their shoes. Written in tape on the bottom of the bride-to-be's shoes were the words "GOT" on the left shoe, and "HIM" on the right. On the bottom of the groom-to-be's shoes were "HELP" on the left shoe and "ME" on the right. The wedding photographer who had been filming and taking photos with his crew made sure he got close ups of their feet and everyone's reactions.

"Oi," he said still chortling. "Which one of you is the genius who's responsible for this brilliant idea?" Before anybody could answer, something dawned on him. "Oh, never mind. Something on my shoes, eh, Jack?"

Jack was almost laughing too hard to say anything, so instead he simply took a bow. Catching his breath, he said, "You didn't think I could let something like this go by without comment, did you?"

The minister frowned. "All right then, I hope that this little bit of levity is just for tonight and is not going to happen tomorrow."

"It had better not," the Doctor said, staring at Jack, but honestly, he wasn't really angry; he was more grateful for some release in the tension.

Jack held his hands up, the very picture of innocence.

Jack didn't hear the Brigadier walk up behind him. After all, he was a seasoned veteran. "You, Sir, are a buffoon," he said loudly as he slapped his hand on Jack's shoulder firmly. "And if there's **any** disturbance of **any** kind tomorrow, you shall have me to answer to."

The Doctor had seen Jack do many things over the years, but he had never seen him go quite as pale as he did at that moment. He swallowed hard. "Yes, sir," he said in a tiny voice.

The minister smiled widely at Jack's discomfort. "I think we can proceed without worry of any further interruptions now."


	5. Chapter 5

Jack behaved himself for the rest of the rehearsal and even the dinner, and eventually it was time to call it a night. The Doctor still hadn't finished everything on the list Sarah had left for him, and besides, Sarah wasn't willing to risk seeing him after midnight. Superstition or not, she wasn't taking any chances.

So after escorting all of the groomsmen, plus Wilf and the Brigadier, to the TARDIS, the Doctor came back to say goodnight to Sarah. She was talking to Martha about last minute details when he came up behind her and put his arms around her, kissing the side of her neck. "I'm afraid that if you insist on staying away from me, it's time for me to go."

Sarah leaned back and put her head on his shoulder. "I'm really going to miss being with you, but it's only the one night dear. You know, there really is a good reason for the bride and groom not to see each other on the day of the wedding. I'll be nervous enough tomorrow as it is. If I walk out of my room and see your handsome face first thing in the morning, I won't be able to concentrate on a thing." Sarah stroked his cheek with her hand.

He felt her touch run through him like electricity, and almost threw her over his shoulder and carried her off. But they'd come this far... "And if I** don't **see your beautiful face first thing in the morning** I** won't be able to concentrate on a thing. But I'll have to live with it." He turned her to face him and kissed her on the forehead. "Just one night."

She gave him a hug and nodded. "Just one night, Sweet dreams." She smiled at him and turned back into the conversation.

The Doctor turned back and pulled her into his arms. "We're getting married in the morning, I think we should at least kiss goodnight," he joked, and kissed her tenderly.

She shook her head at herself, and then kissed him back. "Sorry dear, chalk it up to nerves. I love you, Doctor," she said.

"And I love you, soon to be Mrs. Doctor," he said.

Sarah laughed and shook her head at him. "That's Doctor and Mrs. **Smith**, Mr. Definite Article."

The Doctor laughed with her. "How could I possibly forget. Good night, future Mrs. Smith," he said, kissing her again. "And good night to you too, Mrs. Smith," he told Martha. "Try not to let Sarah Jane get into too much trouble, will you?"

"You're the one who has to deal with Jack," Martha smiled. "I think you've got other things to worry about than what's Sarah's getting up to. And you tell Mickey that what happens at the bachelor party does **not **stay at the bachelor party."

"Believe me, that's not going to be a problem," the Doctor said, and kissed Sarah's hand one more time before heading back to the TARDIS.

He found his friends sitting around the table in the galley telling war stories. Every one of them had been on at least one adventure with him, so they all had a lot to talk about. But the military nature of the discussion gave him some inspiration. "All right," he said. "You're all military men ... to some extent," he nodded toward Mickey and Alonzo, "so I trust that we can find some efficient way of doing all of **this**." He slapped the list Sarah left for him on the table.

Jack picked up the list, read it, and looked at the Doctor with disbelief. "Are you honestly going to tell me that you want to spend the night doing this list instead of having a bachelor party? I think that near-regeneration scrambled your brain a little."

The Doctor stared at him. "I don't need a bachelor party, Jack, really. I'd much rather have this done so my bride-to-be doesn't kill me."

"Wow, you're not even married yet and you've already learned to follow orders so well." He bowed his head and turned to the other groomsmen. "Make way and be respectful Gentlemen, dead man walking."

Mickey, Wilf and Alonzo laughed, but the Brigadier and Harry just smiled knowingly. "I don't know," Harry said, "I've been on Sarah Jane's bad side. If she wants this list done, I think the least we can do for the condemned -- I mean the groom, is to help out."

"Oi," the Doctor said, "it's not like I'm afraid of her, it's just that ... well, this wedding has been a long time coming, it means a lot to both of us, and I want everything to be right for Sarah."

"That's as it should be and perfectly commendable old chap," said the Brig. "Now then Mr. Sullivan, let's have a go at that list shall we?"

"Righto," smiled Harry.

"Thank you, gentlemen," the Doctor said. "And besides, Jack, when you're getting married to Sarah Jane Smith, who needs to go out and look at other women?"

Jack knew he was defeated. He sighed, walked over to Harry, and looked over his shoulder at the list. "I'll put the little gold boxes for chocolates together. Where are they?"

"I'll help you," Wilf said.

And in fact they all decided to help, with an eye towards getting things finished as quickly as possible. So within a few minutes, six grown men were sitting there assembling little gold boxes and dropping chocolates into them.

"A far cry from what we're normally doing when you're around," Mickey said.

The Doctor laughed. "You talk as though I can't show up without chaos and destruction following in my wake. Or at least bloodthirsty aliens."

"I don't believe that for one moment, Doctor," said the Brigadier. "However," he gave him a twisted smile, "I do suggest that you leave for your honeymoon as quickly as possible if you wish to avoid any catastrophes."

Even the Doctor laughed heartily at that. "Don't worry, I plan to spirit Sarah away from here as soon as we're finished with everything."

"Seems like the Brig here knows you pretty well," Mickey said.

"He'd better, he's known me since my second regeneration. Or was that the first? Never could remember," he said distractedly, dropping a chocolate into a box. "In any case, it **has **been a long time, hasn't it."

"Quite a long time Doctor. I must say though, that I had given up hope of seeing you and Miss Smith joined in connubial bliss, especially since everyone at UNIT expected you to do something long before now."

"Oh, come now, Brigadier, surely not everyone."

The Brig laughed. "It would seem my dear Doctor, that everyone except you and Miss Smith were aware of the way you two felt about each other."

Now, that was a surprise. "Everyone? Really?" He turned to Harry. "Seriously?"

"It was one of the main topics in the mess, Doctor. For the longest time, there was even a pool on when you would pop the question," smiled Harry. "In fact," he said thoughtfully, "I think Mike Yates wins. He had 'Christmas, 2012'."

"Unbelievable," he said, shaking his head. "How could I not have known that?"

Harry shrugged. "A clear case of not seeing the forest for the trees, I'm afraid."

"Well, some things never change," Wilf laughed.

"Oi, what do you mean by that?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, I agree wit' 'im," Mickey added.

The Doctor gaped at them. "What is this, pick on the Doctor day?"

For once, Jack was quiet.

"You are so busy saving the universe," Wilf said, "that you never stop to think about yourself, and what you need. More than that, you never stop to think about how you yourself feel." He looked the Doctor straight in the eye. "Until it gets to be too much for you and it just comes spilling out."

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and thought about that for a minute. He'd spent a lot of time alone, especially lately, and done a lot of talking to himself. But the one thing he hadn't thought about in all that time was himself. Didn't want to, in fact. So here was a whole room full of people, all of whom (save Alonzo) knew things about him that he himself hadn't realized.

"Thing is," Jack said, "you can't run from yourself."


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor looked at him, and knew that nothing else needed to be said. If anyone knew about running from themselves, it was Jack Harkness. He was suddenly glad Jack was here, and not off alone somewhere nursing his conscience.

"And I'm afraid, Doctor," the Brigadier said, interrupting his reverie, "that you're going to have to stop ignoring your own needs. You're getting married now, you are going to need to share that part of you with your wife." He tucked a tiny white tab into a tinier white slot and dropped a piece of chocolate into the resulting box. "Which means that you're going to have to go against the natural instincts of the male of just about any species and not only think about your feelings once in a while, but heaven forbid actually talk about them."

"Yeh," Mickey said. "Martha was always getting mad at me for not telling her how I feel, until she got smart and just started asking me."

Jack stood up suddenly and checked the list to see what else they needed to do. "You know, I've been married dozens of times, and I still haven't gotten the real hang of that one." He pulled down the bag of birdseed and tulle circles and started making birdseed packets.

"If you're trying to scare me away, you're doing a great job." The Doctor finished his own pile of tiny boxes and started working on the birdseed.

"No, no," Harry said. "You'll get the hang of it. Just remember to take a break from the bug-eyed monsters every once in a while to have a real conversation."

"Speaking of real conversations," the Doctor mused, "I think this is the first time I've had so many of my old companions together in one room without anybody trying to kill us." They all laughed in agreement."And speaking of getting killed," Mickey interrupted, "how do you deal with it when they give you the silent treatment? When Martha gets mad at me, she won't even talk to me, so I don't know how to fix it."

"Take it from a seasoned veteran, my boy," said the Brig. "That's the time to retreat and let her make the next move."

"Here's the thing you need to understand," said Jack. "When a woman gives you the silent treatment, she's taking control of the argument. The best thing to do is give her time to cool down. While she's cooling down, go out and buy her some candy or flowers or something nice, and come back apologizing. Once you say you're sorry, she'll tell you what you did wrong," he laughed.

Mickey nodded. "How long do you leave her alone? Seems like no matter how long I wait, when I come back, she just gets madder."

The Doctor listened intently. One thing he knew about himself was that while he could describe the societal interactions of just about every civilization in the known universe, when it came to one-on-one relationships, he was about as effective as a screen door on a submarine.

"In that case, the Brigadier is right," said Jack, starting to clap the Brig on the back and changing his mind at the very last moment. "You just have to wait it out and let her come to you."

"And I have to tell you," Wilf chimed in, "that's the hardest part. That, and keeping your mouth shut when you're right."

"What?" Alonzo asked. "Don't you mean when you're wrong?"

"Absolutely not," Wilf insisted. "Best advice I ever got was on my wedding day, from my father in law, bless his soul. He said 'When you're wrong, say you're sorry, and when you're right, don't say anything.'"

The Doctor watched his friends tie up tiny bags of birdseed and realized that they all genuinely cared about him, and about Sarah, and their happiness. And Martha too, he decided, she probably felt the same way.

When it came to companions, he was one lucky man.

Alonzo reached for some birdseed. "I wonder what the girls are doing right now."

"I can just see it," Jack said. "I'll bet they have a set of male strippers and Sarah Jane's getting an eyeful."

"What?" the Doctor said. "What?! No, I can't see it."

"D'you really think so?" Mickey asked, concerned.

"No, of course not," the Doctor said. "But still..." He picked up the cell phone she had left him and dialed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sarah was having a wonderful time. Her bridesmaids had chipped in to throw her a party in the hotel room, where she was spending the night in the lap of relative luxury.

"This is my husband's ultimate fantasy," laughed Lilly. "All of us in our jimjams sitting around sipping champagne and eating strawberries."

"Let's face it, " laughed Corrine, "this is **all **of our husband's fantasies. **My** fantasy is having a night out with the girls and no men," she sipped her drink and flopped onto the bed, laughing as she spilled just a little. "I love James and my children more than life itself. But every once in a while, I need to get out and have some time with my friends. Make sure you manage to get some time to yourself with us after you're married, Sarah Jane, it makes you a better wife."

"Mickey is probably going mad right now," said Martha as she nibbled on a strawberry. "I just know his imagination is working overtime thinking about what we could be up to."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Room service," someone called out.

Corrine rushed to the door and poked her head out, then back in. "It's you're night before the wedding surprise Sarah Jane," she called over her shoulder.

Sarah Jane looked over at her, worried. "I sincerely hope that you ladies didn't do anything I'll regret."

"Well, I guarantee, it's something that will make you feel good..." Corrine smiled wickedly at her.

Sarah kept smiling, but inside, she was horrified. "Uhm, while I may be grateful for the thought, I'd just as soon not, sorry."

"Calm down love, it's a masseuse and a manicurist," she laughed. "We wanted to make sure you're really relaxed tomorrow."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and watched as Corrine let the two women in. Soon they were setting up their equipment.

"Which would you like first Sarah Jane?" asked Lilly.

"Oh, I think I'd like my nails done. I was so busy today, I forgot all about them." She looked around the room and smiled at her three best friends. "Honestly, I can't thank you all enough. I'm sure I couldn't get through all this without you."

Martha came up to her and gave her a hug. "What's life without friends to share it with you?"

Sarah hugged her back. "You're going to make me cry," she said, wiping away a tear.

"Here Sarah, have some more champagne and just sit back and get pampered," Lilly said.

Sarah Jane picked the pearl colored nail polish and some diamond-like star appliques to go with them. Then she sank her bare feet into a warm foot bath to soak them before she had her toenails done. "Mmmm, this is wonderful."

"I'll say," said Corrine as she enjoyed her massage. "You know, I think all married couples should learn to do this. Paul and I took classes right after we got married, and I'm telling you, it's really great, and it's made us so much closer."

Sarah started giggling. "I'm trying to picture the Doctor taking a massage class, and it's just impossible."

"Why do you and Martha call him that?" asked Lilly. "It sounds so Victorian."

"Well, uhm," Sarah gulped. "It's actually a pet name I have for him. When I first met him years ago I was a fledgling reporter. We got along so well, he invited me to join him and I became his assistant. That was before he became a plastic surgeon. As for Martha, she's a doctor too, and she worked with him for a while."

"Mmm, and he's cheeky in a very cute sort of way too," giggled Lilly. "Trust you to land someone like him. You always were the clever one."

"Did you two 'play doctor' too? Wouldn't blame you if you did, he's awfully dishy," said Corrine.

"I'm afraid that will have to remain my little secret," Sarah smiled, trying not to blush. She looked over at Martha and realized something. "You're awfully quiet over there, Martha. Are you alright?"


	7. Chapter 7

Martha looked very nervous and secretive, and Sarah held her breath, waiting for her to answer. While they'd been preparing for the wedding, Martha had confessed to her that she'd once been in love with the Doctor, or at least thought she was. Sarah had assumed that she was over it, but the way Martha was acting now, she was afraid she was about to find out she may have been wrong.

"I have a question to ask the three of you," said Martha.

Three heads turned their undivided attention towards Martha.

"I have something important to tell Mickey, and I'm not sure what to do about it."

Sarah wondered if Martha was about to break up with Mickey. She looked so unhappy, and if Martha did have strong feelings for the Doctor, she wasn't sure how she would deal with it. She really liked both Martha and Mickey and she hated the thought of either one of them being hurt. She sucked in her breath for a moment and slowly let it out. If she was right, she'd do everything in her power to save their marriage and get Martha to see that it could never work out between her and the Doctor. Sarah's nails were done, and it was her turn next to be massaged. She went up to Martha and put her hand out to her. "Is something wrong Martha? If there's anything we can do to help, you know you can count on me and the Doctor."

Martha gave her hand a squeeze. "No, there's nothing wrong, I just need some advice."

"Well you can count on me too," said Lilly.

"Me too," said Corrine. "So spill it, we're all ears."

Martha considered for a moment. "I'm having a baby, and I don't know how Mickey will feel about it."

Sarah sighed with relief. "No wonder you didn't have any champagne! Oh Martha, how wonderful! He'll be thrilled, of course."

Martha didn't look so sure. "I mean, he'll have to slow down, and so will I. You know what it's like, Sarah Jane. And what if Mickey doesn't want to help me," asked Martha with a worried expression. "I can't do this by myself."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to help you with the baby, after all it's his child too," said Sarah. She wondered how the Doctor would feel if they were going to have a baby. She'd be beyond thrilled, but a baby in the TARDIS? Then she sadly reminded herself sadly that they could never have children. The Doctor had gone to great lengths to explain it all to her. Thanks to the Curse of Pythia, all Time Lords were sterile. Time Lords reproduced via looms, and the looms, like Gallifrey, were all gone now.

"I don't know about that, Sarah Jane," said Martha, snapping her away from her thoughts. "I mean, Mickey'll have to settle down quite a bit, and I don't know how it will affect his work."

Sarah Jane mustered a smile for her. "Babies are a blessing and a joy. They bring new life and hope into the universe. Even if Mickey's not thrilled at first, as soon as he holds his son or daughter, his heart will be captured. Besides, if you ever need a babysitter, count us in for the occasional night on the town." The masseuse motioned that she was ready for her, and Sarah positioned herself on the massage table.

"Good heavens," the masseuse exclaimed. "You're just a mass of knots aren't you?"

Sarah just gave her a feeble smile, and tried to relax as she felt the trained fingers push into her shoulder blades. "I don't suppose you can do anything about the knots in my stomach," she asked her.

Just then her cell phone rang. "Lilly, can you get my cell for me please, it's in the front pocket of my purse."

"Of course," said Lilly as she ran to get it. When she picked up the phone, she looked to see who was calling. "Oh, it's your intended," she smiled. She flipped the phone open. "Hello, is this Doctor Smith?"

"Er ... yes it is," said the voice on the other end, "who is this?"

"This is Sarah Jane's friend Lilly. She's uhm, occupied right now," she giggled.

There was a long pause. Then, "What do you mean 'occupied'?"

"Well, if you must know, at the moment, someone is running their hands up and down her body and she's really enjoying it." Everyone in the room except Sarah started to laugh raucously.

"What?! WHAT?!"

Sarah Jane jumped up and grabbed the phone. "Hello darling, it's not really what it sounds, I mean, it's true, but I have a perfectly good explanation."

"Well ... of course. Of course you have a good explanation, I never doubted it for a moment. I was just sitting here thinking, 'I'm sure she has a perfectly good explanation,' isn't that right, gentlemen? I never doubted for a moment that there was a perfectly good explanation." She could hear laughter in the background.

"Yes, you see, I was just getting a massage, that's all. Nothing to worry about." She waved her arms at the girls to be quiet but they just giggled even more.

"A massage," he repeated uncertainly. The laughter in the background got even more raucous.

Jack was laughing the hardest, then he nudged Alonzo and winked at him. "Take it all off baby," he shouted as loud as he could.

"What," said Sarah as she heard him. "Doctor, where are you, and **what** are you doing?"

"What? I ... no, it's ... never mind that, we're not anywhere, we're in the TARDIS putting chocolates into little boxes."

"You're in the TARDIS! Who's taking what off? Has Jack Harkness gotten some women from one if those 'Gentleman's Clubs', to entertain you?" she asked, her voice growing a little tense.

"Oooh," the girls said in unison. Then Corrine jumped up on the bed and slowly and seductively lowered the strap of her nightgown while the other girls whistled and laughed.

"Oh, and you should talk, I hear what's going on there!"

"Do you?" Sarah's voice grew indignant. "And just what do you think is happening here, may I ask?"

"Well, I hear all that whistling and laughing and ... there really isn't anything going on over there, is there," he said, suddenly calm.

"No, not really," she said. "The girls got a masseuse in here, and before you ask, it's a woman and we're all dressed. Now, if you'll be so kind as to tell me what's happening in the TARDIS, maybe I can rest easier too."

"Other than Jack being... Jack," he said, throwing a bag of birdseed at Jack's head, "nothing is going on here. We're just trying to finish up the list, honestly."

"And there's no women taking anything off, is there?"

"No, there are no women taking anything off."

Sarah sighed with relief. "I feel like such an idiot. I'm so sorry darling, it's just that I wouldn't put anything past Jack."

"No, no, Jack does seem to be the focal point of trouble, doesn't he?" He got up and moved out into the hallway, to the sound of disappointed hooting. "I miss you."

Sarah Jane smiled. "I miss you too," she said lovingly. "But in a few more hours, we'll be married and dancing at our wedding."

"Not soon enough," he sighed. "Good night, darling."

* * *

The Doctor hung up the phone and returned to his compatriots. "That was very funny," he said, not laughing. Much.

"Well, I'm afraid that's the closest to any excitement we're going to get tonight, gentlemen," smiled Jack.

"And **I'm** afraid that's quite close enough, thank you," the Doctor said. "I can't believe I let you lot get me worked up like that."

"Nice to see you're almost human, Doctor," laughed Mickey.

"No reason to be insulting," the Doctor said, not hinting at whether he was referring to "human" or "almost". He checked the list. "On the upside, we're about done here, and all we've got left on the List Of Doom is the dye for the fountain."

"Then let's get on with it shall we," said the Brigadier. "It's getting late, and there'll be more than enough excitement in the morning to go around, you have my word on it."

The Doctor gathered up several bottles of blue dye and headed for the control room, setting the coordinates for the hall. When the TARDIS landed with a quiet 'thud' he stepped out and juggled the bottles while working the doorknob into the reception room itself. Inside was the centerpiece of Sarah's decorations, a four-level fountain. He turned it on and water gently cascaded from almost two meters up. The only thing about it that Sarah had lamented was that the water wasn't blue, so the Doctor had suggested pool die, and now he was standing, watching the water fall, holding three bottles of bright blue dye to make everything perfect.

He hoped.

Sarah had waited so long for this moment. True, he'd waited even longer, but he wasn't as hung up on the ceremony as she was. He just wanted everything to be perfect for her sake, because she deserved it.

And perfect it would be, he thought.

He set the bottles down and opened the first one, peeling off the cellophane seal. As he poured it into the fountain he looked around. The wedding consultants had really outdone themselves, and the hall was beautiful, from the floral arrangements to the centerpieces.

"Well," said Harry, looking around. "Someone's outdone themselves. Everything looks posh and perfect."

"Let's face it, these ceremonies are for the bride," said Jack as he walked over to the Doctor's side. "Everything has to be just right when they put the noose around you," he grinned as he tightened the Doctor's tie a bit.

"You're so negative," the Doctor said, pulling a plastic bag out of his pocket and putting the empty bottle in it so he wouldn't get any dye on the floor. He opened the second bottle and added it to the fountain, watching the color get just a little stronger. "If you don't like being married, why do you keep doing it?"

Jack looked over at Alonzo and flashed him his most charming smile. "Let's face it, I'm a sucker for a pretty face. By the time you realize they've got you wrapped around their finger, it's too late. One beautiful smile and an irresistible look, and you're hooked. "

"For once," the Doctor said, twisting the cap off the third bottle, "you're making some sense." He pulled at the cellophane seal, hoping that three bottles would be enough. The color was almost, but not quite right. Frustrated at not being able to get a good grip on the edge of the seal, he gave up and pushed his thumb into the opening to break it.

The Doctor's time sense told him that it was just .286 seconds between the moment he'd pushed on the seal and the moment the giant splash of dark blue dye englufed him, but it was long enough for him to realize he'd just made a huge mistake. Thankfully, he had been leaning over the fountain at the time, so he was pretty sure that none of the dye had gotten on the floor, but he was now covered, head to navel, with blue dye.

Staining blue dye.

Staining blue dye he'd better wash off before it set.

Staining blue dye he'd better wash off before it set and he showed up at his wedding with a blue-dye face.

The realization hit him like a brick and he dropped the bottle into the fountain and made a beeline for the door, shoving Jack aside and yelling, "Get out of my way!!!"

Jack started to laugh uproariously as soon as he realized what had happened. The thought of the Doctor showing up at his wedding dyed blue thrilled him. He ran after him to get a good look at just how blue he was. Hey, you match the TARDIS now," he said as he caught up with him. He ran along with him as he rushed to the doors frantically. "I didn't know you were blueish," he giggled at him.

The Doctor looked desperate as he tried to figure out how to open the door without getting the blue dye on his hands on the decorations. "Come on, Jack, open the door, will you?!?"

"OK, but first tell me how much you love me," he wiggled his eyebrows at him.

"Jack, if this dye sets on my face, you are going to be blue for an entirely different reason!!!"

Jack laughed as he opened the door. "After you, Doctor."

The Doctor sprinted for the TARDIS, and for the sonic shower.

Jack ran along with him, singing a song called "I Love You, I Love You, Said The Little Blue Man", all the way into the TARDIS and down the hall, until he stood outside the shower.

The Doctor vowed to himself that come what may, he would get even with Jack.

* * *

The rest of the night passed more quickly than the Doctor, at least, would have thought was possible. Jack, laughed himself sick, the Brigadier and Harry finished up with the fountain while the Doctor got cleaned up, Mickey, Wilf, and Alonzo finished up the birdseed packets, and finally, **finally**, they had arrived at the actual wedding.

The (now completely dye-free) Doctor watched Jack search the pockets of his tuxedo. "You **do **have the rings, right, Jack?"


	8. Chapter 8

"You saw me right? You handed them to me before we left the TARDIS and I carefully put them in the top pocket of my tuxedo. You were with me the whole time since then. There's no where they could have gone." Jack was almost at the point of panic. He patted his jacket pockets and slipped as much of his hand as he could fit into them. He couldn't understand what happened to them. The rings **had **to be there.

"I saw you," the Doctor said. "You put them in your pocket. So where are they? The Best Man has two jobs. Throw the bachelor party, and hold onto the rings for the groom. I wouldn't let you throw a bachelor party, so that left just one thing for you to do," he scowled.

"And I did it. I know I did it, I just don't see how the rings could have vanished like that." Jack started searching his other pockets. He knew he didn't put them there, but he felt compelled to keep looking anyway.

The Doctor could almost feel sorry for Jack. Almost.

"Could you have put them somewhere else? For safekeeping, maybe?" The Doctor paced, showing Jack how concerned he was.

"You were right next to me the whole time, did you **see** me put them anywhere else?" Jack started pacing too. He rubbed his forehead as he paced. 'Think,' he thought to himself. He checked his pocket again to make sure for the third time that it didn't have a hole in it. 'No hole,' he thought. 'Where else could the rings possibly be?' He retraced his steps. 'The Doctor handed me the rings, I put them in the inside breast pocket of my tux,' he reached up repeating his actions as he thought. 'I dropped them into my pocket, and then, we stepped out of the TARDIS. That's it! That's the first time I noticed the rings were gone!'

"Doctor, we need to go back and look for them in the TARDIS. They've **got** to be there!" Jack exclaimed.

"They'd better be," the Doctor said. "You go back and look, and I'll try and stall things here." He watched Jack go.

As Jack ran back into the TARDIS, he nearly mowed down Wilf, who was on his way out. "Looking for the rings, is he?"

The Doctor nodded, and Wilf chuckled. He stepped forward and straightened the labels of the Doctor's tuxedo. "There. Now you're presentable."

The Doctor smiled at him. "Thanks, Dad," he joked.

Wilf smiled back and stared at him for a few moments. "Are you ready?"

"Oh yeah, we'll be done in a moment and then we can start," the Doctor said.

"That's not what I mean," Wilf said. "I mean, are you ready," he asked, punctuating his words with a gentle finger to the Doctor's chest. "To get married, I mean."

"Of course," the Doctor said without even thinking about it.

"I don't mean for the ceremony, Doctor. I mean, are you ready to get married? Have you even thought about it?" He straightened the Doctor's tie. "You've been a bachelor for a long time. It's going to be an adjustment to share your life with another person."

The Doctor laughed uneasily. If he really admitted it, there was a tiny part of him that had been thinking the same thing. "It's a little late to think about that, isn't it?"

"You're not married yet, you can still back out."

"Wilf, what are you trying to say here?" If Wilf had doubts ... "I thought you were behind me on this."

"I am." He turned the Doctor toward the room where Sarah was waiting with her bridesmaids. "You see that room over there? Behind that door is a lovely lady who loves you. If you're going to break her heart, you'd better do it now, before you marry her. She deserves better than to be strung along."

The Doctor looked at him, horrified. "Wilf, have you gone mad? I love Sarah Jane. I would never string her along. I've loved her since the moment I laid eyes on her. I can't ---" He realized what he was saying. "I can't live without her, Wilf." He smiled, realizing that all of his doubts were gone. "You crafty old codger, you."

"I didn't stick around this long not paying attention," Wilf said. "Now, I'll ask you one more time. Are you ready?"

The Doctor smiled. "Yes, Wilfred, I am absolutely ready."

* * *

The Doctor stepped into the back of the hall and waited for Jack to give up searching the TARDIS. He wouldn't find the rings there, of course. He pulled out the phone Sarah had left with him and dialed. He could hear her phone ringing from the back room.

"Hello you, how's it going?" Sarah's voice sounded happy, but just a tiny bit nervous.

"Brilliant," the Doctor smiled. "Jack is frantically searching the TARDIS for the rings."

Sarah Jane giggled at that. "How long are you going to make him suffer?"

"I dunno. When I accidentally soaked myself in blue fountain dye, he was laughing too hard to even get the door for me so I could get into the shower before it set. I was sure I was going to show up here looking like a Smurf." The Doctor put his feet up on the chair in front of him.

Sarah Jane winced at the thought of the Doctor showing up at the wedding with a blue pallor. "I think I might have fainted if I had walked down the aisle and saw you looking that way. I mean, I've got a sense of humor, but that's really a bit too much. Thank heavens you got it all off." She thought for a moment. "You **did **get it all off, didn't you?" Her voice had a slight bit of panic in it.

The Doctor laughed. It was a good laugh, releasing tension with every breath. "Yes, darling, I got it all off. I'm completely dye-less. My suit will never be the same, but that's a small price to pay."

"Sorry about your suit, but better it than you," Sarah said. "I think you should give Jack about five more minutes and if he's not out of the TARDIS by then, go in and let him off the hook. We'll need to get the wedding started by then," she paused. "Wait, I have a better idea, put him on the phone, I want to shake him up a little first, then you can tell him what's going on."

The Doctor smiled at the thought. "Your wish is my command." He headed into the TARDIS. "Jack," he called sharply, trying to look angry. "Sarah wants to talk to you."

Jack gulped loudly. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was the wrath of Sarah Jane Smith. Especially after all that talk last night about what a spitfire she could be when she got worked up. "Uhm, sure, hand me the phone." The Doctor handed him the phone with a look that clearly said, 'I'd hate to be you right now.'

Jack put as much warmth in his voice as he could. "Hello Gorgeous, and how are you this lovely day?" He said, trying to sound calm.

"I'd be thrilled except it looks as though **you** are about to ruin my wedding day." Sarah's voice was ice cold.

All appearances of composure dripped away. "I swear, I'm gonna find them, Sarah Jane, don't worry. I'll -- I'll -- I'll find them or I'll replace them, or something, but I promise, your wedding day is going to be perfect. I promise."

"Jack, I don't care what it costs you or what you have to do, but you are going to fix this, and I mean right now. Get the Doctor over to the phone, I want him to hear this too," she said firmly. As she waited, she sent a thought to the Doctor.

Jack hesitantly handed the phone back to the Doctor. "She wants you to hear something," he mumbled, putting the phone into "speaker" mode.

"I'm here," the Doctor said sternly, so she could hear him. Then in unison, they both said, "GOTCHA!" The Doctor pulled the real rings -- not the dissolving Ancleote versions he'd given Jack -- out of his pocket.

"Why you rotten son of a..." He remembered Sarah Jane was listening. "How did you do that? I never let those rings out of my sight for a second." Jack suddenly started to laugh. "Well, I guess you two got even, didn't you? I suppose I had that coming."

Sarah was laughing harder than the Doctor, and he was laughing so hard he was crying. "If you ever get married again Jack, oh **please**, be sure you invite us to your wedding," she said, almost choking with laughter.

"So you can torture me some more? Nothing doing," he said. "Aw, who am I kidding, of course I'm going to invite you." He grabbed the Doctor in a huge bear hug and didn't let go.

The Doctor returned the hug, doing the male back-pat-I'm-hugging-you-but-I'm-still-hitting-you-so-that's-OK thing for a few moments. But when Jack didn't let go, the Doctor realized this was more than just relief. "Sarah," he shouted so she could hear him over the speaker, "I'm going to have Jack hang up now, and I'll see you in a few minutes, all right?"

"Of course darling, see you soon. Don't be late," she laughed.

"I won't," he shouted. "I love you." Then, quietly, he said, "Hang up, Jack." When he heard the phone click shut, he said, "It's all right, Jack."

The Doctor felt him nod, but Jack didn't say anything. Instead, he held on to the Doctor like a drowning man to a life preserver.

The Doctor let him go for a few more moments, then gently extricated himself from Jack's grip and held him out at arm's length. "Are you going to be all right? We didn't mean to --"

"No, it's all right," Jack interrupted, his voice uneven. "It's just that... well, you know how it is for people like us. People, even loved ones, they come and go, but you, and now Sarah Jane, I guess, you're ... well, I meant it when I introduced you to Alonzo as my family."

The Doctor smiled at him. "Thank you, Jack. It's our honor."

"I never had an older brother," Jack continued, "and you're ... well, you're the closest thing I could hope for, and this ... well, I don't know how you did it, but it's just the kind of thing a big brother would do, and ..." He stopped for a moment to gather his composure. "Dammit, you're making me all ..." He shook his head to clear it. "Not supposed to get this way until you actually get married, so get your skinny Gallifreyan backside into that hall and let's do this thing!"

The Doctor nodded silently, realizing that he'd begun to think of Jack as family from the moment they'd finally discussed what had happened to him on Satellite Five, Jack bathed in Stett radiation and the Doctor watching through the door. He'd been traveling with Martha then, but he'd still felt so alone, and the thought of someone who might understand what things were like for him... he'd felt a closeness he hadn't felt for quite a while. That closeness was why he'd asked Jack to be his Best Man in the first place.

The thought snapped him back to reality. "Absolutely," he said. "Allons-y!" And with that he did haul his skinny Gallifreyan backside back into the hall.

Just as the Doctor and Jack headed up the aisle to take their places, the entire ensemble stood up and shouted, "Gotcha Jack."

Jack glared at the Doctor, but then he couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else. Finally, he took a gracious, elaborate bow, then practically shoved the Doctor into position.


	9. Chapter 9

Meanwhile, Sarah and Martha and the rest of the bridesmaids had arrived at the hall. The bridesmaids were chattering with excitement. Sarah glanced over at Martha and gave her a somewhat worried smile. "No matter what happens, everything's going to turn out as it should."

She gave Sarah Jane the most confident smile she could muster. "It's all going to work out Sarah Jane. Try not to let anything bother you right now,OK?"

Sarah nodded. "Right, let's get in place then, shall we?"

Martha nodded back. "Let's get moving bridesmaids, we've got a wedding starting soon."

The bridesmaids kept on talking, but headed towards the area in which they were supposed to be waiting until the music started.

That was when the Doctor called Sarah Jane about the rings. She hushed the bridesmaids and nodded at Martha, who explained to them what was going on. They stood and listened quietly as Sarah Jane started to ream Jack out, trying not to giggle.

When she got off the phone, they watched as the Doctor and Jack returned to a standing ovation. Sarah nodded to Martha that she was ready to start, and soon the wedding party was in place and waiting for the music to begin. Martha gave Sarah Jane the "thumbs up" as Jack arrived with the rest of the groomsmen to take the hands of their partners and walk down the aisle.

Sarah Jane smiled warmly as the Brigadier and Doris took their places by her side. Doris looked her over, then straightened her veil a bit and smiled lovingly at her. "You look exquisite my dear, doesn't she, Alastair?" The Brig smiled at them both. "Indeed she does, and that's just as it should be." He handed Sarah his arm. She took it, then squeezed Martha's hand before she took Doris's. Martha smiled and gave her both thumbs up.

Just then the first strains of Pachelbel's Cannon started up, and the wedding began.

Just as they'd practiced, Giselle and Carter walked slowly down the aisle, Giselle very carefully dropping flower petals as she went. In fact, she made a point not to drop any too close to a guest, lest it be thought she was throwing them at them. Carter walked behind her, his back straight, looking straight ahead and very, very serious. Together they reached the front, and the minister smiled a huge smile at the both of them, motioning gently for them to step off to the side.

Next came Martha in a burgundy dress with gold trim and burgundy bouquet with gold ribbons, her arm resting lightly on Jack's. He was wearing a black tux with a gold vest and a burgundy boutonnière. They were followed by Corrine and Harry, then by Lilly and Mickey. When the bridal party reached the front of the hall, the music stopped while everyone paused to wait for the Bride.

As the wedding march started, Sarah Jane emerged, escorted by the Brigadier and Doris. Sarah wore a wreath of burgundy and white roses with a short layered veil over her long flowing hair. Her wedding gown had a sweetheart neckline and long sleeves that came to a point over her hands. The dress was covered in diamante and she sparkled with every step she took. The skirt of her gown was full and rustled softly as she walked, and her train cascaded down over her hips, trailing elegantly behind her. Her bouquet matched her veil, with gold ribbons hanging from it. She glowed with joy as she looked forward. All she could see was the Doctor standing at the front of the hall smiling at her. Today, she truly felt like a princess.

The Doctor watched her as she came down the aisle, his smile so wide that it didn't look quite human. Even with his redundant respiratory system, he got lightheaded, realizing that he'd stopped breathing watching her. This was a man who had literally seen everything. The Canyon Fires of Antaleiis, the Dancing Waters of Harilesis, the glories and tragedies of the Medusa Cascade, everything. But nothing in the universe was as beautiful in that moment as Sarah Jane coming down the aisle. Nothing save the love that filled his Gallifreyan soul.

When they reached the front, the minister turned to the Brigadier and Doris. "Who gives this woman to this man?"

"We do," answered the Brig and Doris solemnly. Then they both turned to the Doctor and placed Sarah's hand in his. They each kissed her on the cheek and went to sit down.

Then the Minister smiled at Wilf. "Who gives this man to this woman?"

"I do," Wilf said, a twinkle in his eye. He leaned over and winked at Sarah, then patted the Doctor on the back and set down.

The Doctor looked away only for a moment to smile at Wilf, but he couldn't stop staring at Sarah. He looked deep into her eyes and for a few moments, it was just the two of them in that room. He almost didn't notice when the minister started to go on with the ceremony.

"Good morning," he said to the assembled crowd. "We're gathered here today in the sight of all that is holy to witness the joining together of two remarkable people. Marriage is oft-times taken pretty lightly these days, so it does my heart good to see that these two, who have no compelling reason other than their undying love for each other, are standing here today and committing to spending the rest of their lives together. From the time I've spent talking to Sarah Jane and Doctor Smith, I have learned that they know what it is to be without each other, and now that they have found each other again, they know they don't want to be alone anymore. And I'm sure that right now they probably think that they have arrived at one of the most important moments of their lives.

"But I'm here to tell you both that today is not the most important moment of your life. It's not even the beginning of the rest of your life. No, for each of you, there was a moment sometime in the past when you committed to each other. This ceremony is really just a formality in which you make that commitment public. But even that private moment when you committed to each other isn't the most important moment either.

"No, the most important moment in your lives together will come sometime in the future, when you've been married for a while. It's the moment when, unlike today, suddenly everything isn't perfect. Maybe it'll have something to do with your future children, or your jobs, or perhaps money, or even illness, but something will be wrong, and you'll find yourself at that most important moment, when you need to decide. Do you turn to each other, or turn on each other?

"Dear friends, after 30 years of marriage I am here to tell you that **that **is the most important moment of your lives together. And we're all here today to stand by you as you promise that in all of those moments, big and small, you will realize that there is nothing bigger or more important than your love, and that you will always turn to each other, standing by each others side no matter what happens."

He smiled. "So in the spirit of that long term commitment, I say to you, Doctor John Smith, do you take this woman, Sarah Jane Smith, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"

The Doctor smiled at Sarah Jane lovingly. "More than anything else in the entire Universe, I do."

"And do you, Sarah Jane Smith, take this man, Doctor John Smith, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"

"With all my heart, I do," she said, smiling back at the Doctor.

"Wonderful," the minister said. He leaned over slightly and in a very official voice, asked Carter, "May I have the rings, please?"

Carter stepped forward slowly, still looking very serious. The minister leaned over and took the gold rings off of the pillow. He handed the Doctor and Sarah's rings to Jack, and then smiled at Carter, who went back to his seat, beaming.

"Words are powerful but fleeting. The wedding ring, therefore, becomes the enduring symbol of the promises you have just made. Since you have written your own vows, I'm going to ask you to exchange them now to each other. Doctor Smith, would you please go first?"

Jack gave the Doctor Sarah's ring, and he took Sarah's hand and slipped it on as he said his vows. "My darling Sarah Jane. I offer myself to you as your husband, and I take you as my wife, with the full knowledge that I am only truly complete when I am with you. So many people say that they can't live without those they love, but in my case, I can honestly say I know it's true. You shared my life when I was barely a man, still trying to find my way. Although we were technically adults, we were children together, experiencing the pure joy of the universe as only children could. Then I had to leave you, and events forced me to grow up. I learned firsthand about pain, and loss, and I didn't want any part of it. But you taught me that love really does conquer all, that some things really are worth putting your hearts on the line. I vow to you that I will love you with all of my hearts for the rest of my life. I vow to you that I will never hold back any part of myself because of fear. I vow to you that I will trust in you absolutely, no matter what the situation, and that I will try to always be worthy of your trust. And I vow to you that I will show you a whole new universe of joy. Thank you for being part of my life."

Jack handed Sarah the Doctor's ring, quietly smiling at her.

Sarah Jane put the Doctor's ring on his finger. She felt as though the rest of the universe had disappeared and just the two of them were standing alone together in eternity. She reached out with her mind for just a moment and mentally touched him. "Doctor, my beloved, today I give myself to you as your wife, and in turn I joyfully take you as my husband. From the moment I first saw you, I knew that you were the only one I would ever want to share my life with. You have always been my constant and best friend, and my dearest love. Your kindness, your gentleness your unselfishness, your trusting and caring hearts, your brilliant mind and innate goodness have always inspired me to be the best person I could possibly hope to be. I offer myself to you now with all my faults and whatever strengths I may have. I promise you that I will help you when you need help, and I will turn to you when I need help. I promise to keep myself open to you always, and to let you into my innermost fears and feelings, my secrets and my dreams. I promise to love you unconditionally, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to treasure you always above all others. I promise to stand by your side forever and to work together with you to create a life that we can both cherish. I promise too, to be willing to face change as we both change, and to always strive to keep our love alive and exciting. I promise to love you without reservation, to comfort you in times of distress, to encourage you to achieve all of your goals, and to grow with you in mind, and in spirit. And finally, from this day forward I promise to love you in the only way I know how -- completely and forever."

The Doctor wanted nothing more at that moment than to hold her in his arms forever. He'd never realized he could love someone this deeply. He opened his mind to her for a moment, willing her to feel the love he had for her.

Sarah smiled blissfully as she felt the love he gave to her. She closed her eyes for just a moment and opened her mind to him as well. She returned his love with all the love she felt for him. When she opened her eyes he was smiling down at her. He took both of her hands in his and held them reverently.

"Now that was truly beautiful," the minister said. "So now, with the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you man and wife. And now the moment you've been waiting for." He paused for effect. "Doctor, you may kiss your Bride."

The Doctor kissed Sarah Jane softly and gently.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Sarah Jane was swept off of her feet. "I love you darling," was all she could say.

"Always remember that," the Doctor said, also catching his breath, "because I love you too."

The minister stepped forward. "And now, may I introduce to all of you here, Doctor and Mrs. John Smith."

The Doctor smiled widely and Sarah Jane smiled shyly as she rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder.

Everyone there was clapping and smiling. Jack whistled and clapped for them too. They just shook their heads and smiled at him.

"Congratulations to you both," said the minister. "You're married." He signaled to the musicians to start the recessional music.

A string quartet began playing the "Dance of the Blessed Spirits," and Sarah Jane and the Doctor walked together down the aisle, followed by their wedding party. As people got up and started to head over to the room where the reception was to be held, the newlyweds shook the hand of every one, or in a few special cases, hugged and kissed them.


	10. Chapter 10

The ceremony concluded, the wedding party sat at the head table with Sarah Jane and the Doctor at the center of it. Martha and Mickey sat next to the Doctor, Jack and Alonzo (who'd swapped seats with Lilly when Giselle had begun to fuss) were sitting next to Sarah. Harry and Corinne took up the ends of the table, with the Brigadier, Dorris, and Wilf at the closest guest table.

When everyone was seated, Jack stood up to make the first toast to the Bride and Groom. He pulled a piece of paper out of his tux pocket and tapped his spoon on his glass to get everyone's attention.

Sarah had been looking around the room in quiet awe, still trying to convince herself that this was all happening, and she and the Doctor where really married. She turned her head and looked over at Jack.

When it was quiet, he began. "Ladies and gentlemen, hobos and tramps ... no, wait a minute, wrong speech." He shoved the paper into his pocket and fished around again. "Ladies and gentlemen, in case any of you don't know me yet, my name is Jack Harkness, and I'm the Best Man," Jack smiled smugly as he looked around the room.

"That's what he thinks," Sarah whispered to the Doctor as she squeezed his arm. "I've got the best man."

The Doctor smiled. He was too happy at this moment to say much of anything. That, and he was a bit concerned about what was going to come out of Jack's mouth.

"You know, the trouble with being the Best Man at a wedding? It's that no one gives you a chance to prove it. Although, if any one here wants to put that to the test, I'm available later," he said wiggling his eyebrows. "But right now, I want to thank you all for coming, because this is a celebration that's been loooong overdue. Let's pause here and talk a little about marriage. Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and other special occasions, and the other who never forgets any of them. I won't say who's who here, I think you can all figure that one out for yourselves."

As the guests chuckled, the Doctor mentally recited all of the important dates he and Sarah had, and realized that aside from her birthday and today, not one of them were anchored to any particular human date. Lucky thing that, along with the ability to go back to any particular day of the year whenever he wanted.

Jack turned to the Doctor and gave him a knowing wink. "I also want you all to know that these two have come together today with a perfect understanding of each other. He won't try to run her life, and he won't try to run his, either. That means your really married now pal," he said as he leaned over to the Doctor and patted him on the shoulder.

"And glad of it," the Doctor mumbled.

"I'd really like you all to take a good look at our Groom here. I know without any doubt whatsoever, that he's going to be a good husband, and I can tell you why, it's because nothing makes a good husband like a good wife. And speaking of wives, well, take a look at our beautiful Bride. The Doctor is one very lucky man. The secret to a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person, and I can assure you, nobody knows or understands that like Sarah Jane."

Sarah Jane and the Doctor laughed hard at that, as did all of their friends from UNIT, and the other companions present.

"All kidding aside, these two have loved each other so much for so many years, and it's about time they got around to making it official." He waited while everyone applauded. "So before we go ahead and toast these two wonderful people and pronounce this a done deal, we have one last little bit of housecleaning to take care of."

The Doctor looked at Sarah, confused.

Sarah Jane just looked at him blankly and shrugged.

"As many of you know," Jack continued, "the Doctor has been traveling for a long time, and now he's finally come home. Those of us that know him, also know that he's visited a lot of places in that time, and seen a lot of people, so I think that one thing we really need to do is make sure that anybody who has traveled with him at one time or another who has anything that belongs to the Doctor, should go ahead and return it now."

Now the Doctor looked at Jack, wondering what he was playing at.

"OK, so if you don't mind, I'll start things off." He reached into his collar and pulled out a long chain with what looked like his TARDIS key on the end. He reached over and set it on the table in front of the Doctor.

"Jack," the Doctor started, "you don't have to --"

Before he could finish Martha and Mickey stood up in unison and sadly set their keys down by Jack's. They each gave an apologetic look towards Sarah Jane who seemed to be somewhat stunned to see that they both had a key.

The Doctor was a bit stunned as well. He remembered giving Martha a key, but Mickey ...?

Sarah Jane's two bridesmaids got up and placed keys on the table too. Sarah Jane's mouth was hanging open at this point. "Oh, Doctor, you didn't."

Now, he **knew** he hadn't given a key to Sarah's friends. Suddenly it dawned him and he gave Jack a sidelong glance. One last prank. He began to laugh, and decided to go along with it.

Harry then got up and turned in a key, followed by Doris and the Brigadier. When the Brig set his key down, he looked quite guilty and was blushing.

The Doctor pretended to be innocent and not notice.

"Not you too, Brigadier!" exclaimed Sarah in mock horror. She turned to the Doctor. "And with **all** of my best friends too! How long has this been going on?"

Before the Doctor could answer her, Harry's seventy-eight year old Mum, who had come along with him, sauntered up to the table swinging her hips as seductively as she could. She placed her key down, winked wickedly at the Doctor and blew him a knowing kiss. "So long hot stuff, it was fun while it lasted," she said and headed back to her seat.

The Doctor blew her a return kiss, pretending to do it behind Sarah's back.

Though, when Harry's Mum saw that, she gave him an indignant twist of her head. "You're going to miss **me**, luv," she said.

He tried to come up with something clever, but the Doctor could only laugh. Whether it was the ridiculousness of the situation or simply relief that he and Sarah were finally married, he didn't know.

"Well, that's the final straw," said Sarah Jane as she gathered up all of the keys and shook them at the Doctor, trying hard not to laugh, and not succeeding very well. "You can just bet your days of having an entourage traveling with you are over, and from now on, **I'm** the only companion **you'll** ever have. Got it?"

The Doctor looked exaggeratedly contrite. "Yes, dear."

Sarah Jane threw her arms around the Doctor and laughed. "I love you my Time Lord lothario."

He just held her, closing his eyes and savoring the feel of her next to him. "I adore you, my Sarah Jane."

* * *

From there, the reception went pretty much as expected. The bride and groom had their first dance, Harry's girlfriend caught the bouquet, so Sarah encouraged the Doctor to let Harry catch the garter, despite both Jack and Alonzo trying to catch both. Later, Sarah Jane smiled sweetly at the Doctor and delicately fed him a bit of cake. As he leaned in to eat it, she smeared it all over the Doctor's face. He chivalrously took it and didn't return the favor, settling for dabbing just a dot of frosting on the tip of her nose. Then he proceeded to paint a silly face on her in frosting while she giggled and mumbled something about revenge later.

As she was cleaning off the frosting, Martha and Mickey came rushing up to Sarah and the Doctor. "I just told him Sarah Jane," said Martha beaming. "And you were right, he's thrilled about it!"

Sarah gave each of them a huge hug. "Oh, congratulations you two! I really am so happy for both of you."

The Doctor watched the proceedings. "What's going on, then?"

"Martha is having a baby, Doctor," said Sarah, smiling from ear to ear. "And Mickey just found out about it."

"Ah!" the Doctor exclaimed. "That's brilliant! Congratulations!" He clapped Mickey on the shoulder and give Martha a big hug. "So happy for you. Oh," he realized, "that's why you said you might be busy for Thanksgiving!"

"Sometimes you do pay attention, Doctor," Martha said.

"I always pay attention," he said. "I just don't always show it."

"With any luck Martha, they'll be three of you come this Thanksgiving," smiled Sarah. "And if you're up to it, when the time comes, I'd like to throw you a baby shower Martha."

"That would be lovely, Mrs. Smith," Martha smiled.

"In that case, Mrs. Smith," Sarah giggled. "It's all settled. I'll make sure we make time for it."

Finally, the photographer, who'd been racing around all evening trying not to miss anything, corralled the Doctor and Sarah. "Sir, ma'am," he told them, "we've got lots of great candid shots, but we still haven't done the official photos."

"All right then, where would you like us to stand?" Sarah smiled as she cleaned the last of the frosting off.

"Well, for just the two of you, let's use this arch ..." he proceeded to steer them over to the flowered latticework and took more pictures than they'd ever had taken in their lives. Standing, kneeling, holding hands, a gentle kiss, and when they thought he'd finally gotten enough, he threw them. "All right, then, now we can do the family pictures, and then the wedding party."

"Uhm, family?" Sarah Jane looked at the Doctor with a helpless shrug. "What should we do? He wants pictures of our families? I suppose the Brig and Doris and Wilf could stand in."

For a moment, the Doctor thought of his own family, and felt a pang of sadness. Then he looked at the assembled crowd. Martha and Wilf were playing with Carter and Giselle, and Mickey had relieved the bartender of his duties and was passing out drinks that were likely much stronger than anything guests expected. Harry was sitting at a corner table huddled with his girlfriend, the bouquet between them. Jack was somewhat tipsy and hanging onto Alonzo. They glided across the dance floor, barely missing the Brigadier and Doris as they danced a slow dance. He wouldn't have considered it fitting if a single one of them had been missing.

"My family -- **our **family," the Doctor corrected, "is right here." He ran out onto the dance floor and started gathering up his friends, more animated than he'd been all day. "Come on, slowpokes," he said, dragging both the Brig and Jack, assuming their respective partners would follow. "Martha, Mickey, Harry, come on, we can't wait all day!" He dragged them into place, one after the other, until finally he was satisfied. He stood back and admired his handiwork, then pulled Sarah out of the arrangement to she could see. Flanking the empty space where the Doctor and Sarah would be standing were the Brigadier and Doris on one side, and Wilfred on the other. Harry stood to Doris's left with his girlfriend Betty and Martha and Mickey filled out the right, with Jack and Alonzo standing at the back.

"This," the Doctor said proudly to the photographer, "is our family."

Sarah Jane smiled happily, first at the Doctor and then at the photographer. "Nice to have such a large family, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," the Doctor said, and led her back into position.

When things started to wind down, the guests decided it was time to usher the happy couple off for their honeymoon. The TARDIS was parked outside the hall, and as they stepped outside, they had to laugh.

In large chalked letters, each side of the TARDIS was adorned with signs, such as "JUST MARRIED", "She got hers today, he'll get his tonight" and "Newlyweds on Board". Looking around the back side, they saw a collection of cans and old shoes attached to the bottom edge.

"Jack..." the Doctor started.

"Don't blame Jack," Wilf said. "That was me and Alonzo here, I'm afraid. The TARDIS wouldn't let Jack near her," he stage-whispered.

The Doctor smiled and shook his head. "We'll see you all tomorrow, then. Thank you so much!" And with that, they disappeared into the TARDIS.

The Doctor took a deep breath. Now that they were married, they still had one more important milestone to achieve.


	11. Chapter 11

They still had to perform the Bonding Ceremony.

They'd gone back and forth about whether to do what was essentially a Gallifreyan wedding, and the Doctor was still a bit unsure.

More than a bit unsure, actually. Since the day he'd basically escaped from Gallifrey, he'd harbored little but resentment for the planet and all it represented. Long before the war, he'd still bristled at even the thought of being hijacked to the wastelands of Skaro and having a Time Lord talk about "the freedom we allow you." And how many times had the Time Lords put him on trial for one trumped up thing or another?

No, he'd been disgusted with the corruption and the decay of Gallifreyan society long before the war had even started.

The war. When he'd been forced to become the agent of genocide for his own people rather than watch all of existence be destroyed at the hands of Rassilon. Rassilon, so revered by Time Lord society, yet so evil that he was willing to sacrifice everyone and everything for is own ends.

Rassilon, creator of the Time Lords.

It made the Doctor sick to even be associated with him.

Sarah pulled on his hand, turning him so she could give him a kiss, and in one instant he saw the other side of the card in her face. It wasn't Rassilon that had created Sarah, it was the Doctor himself, his regeneration energy. She was free of the corruption that was Rassilon, and that had overcome Gallifrey. And all the Doctor really wanted was to be one with her.

And he wasn't going to let Rassilon take that away from him.

As for Sarah Jane, she was so excited about it all. She had not shown the Doctor the robe that she would be wearing, and in fact he'd been shocked that she told him that she had a bonding amulet to give him. And it was all thanks to Jack, who had offered to school her in Gallifreyan protocol, and gave her the robes and everything she needed as a part of his wedding present. So she knew everything was perfect. At first, she had had no idea that there was a bonding robe for a non Gallifreyan, as well as a bonding amulet for one who was not of the Gallifreyan hierarchy, but Jack had coached her and told her what to do and how to behave, and now she was as ready for this as she could possibly be. She had put her robe and the amulet in the TARDIS in her room and was eager to put it on and to see the expression on the Doctor's face. "I'm ready when you are dear," she said.

The Doctor still hadn't tried on his robes and collar. While he was quite a bit shorter and more slight than he had been the last time he'd worn it, the natural flexibility built into a robe for a race that frequently changed form was enough that it should still fit, and well. But for now, he carried all of that on his arm. "And I'm ready as well, so I suppose we should get on with it."

Sarah headed for her old room, and turned to him before she walked inside of it. "Where shall I meet you when I'm ready, my lord?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Gallifreyan high manners today, my lord," Sarah smiled at him. "I know exactly what to say and how to behave, thanks to Jack."

He smiled, because he could see how important this was to her. She wanted so badly to do this right, and that had touched his hearts. He put any hesitance aside. "Lovely. Then if you'll go ahead and get ready, I'll meet you right outside this room in just a few moments, or whenever you're ready."

Sarah Jane nodded and went into her room. She walked over to her Gallifreyan robe. It was beautiful and she loved it. To her this moment was more important than even their wedding day. Jack had explained to her that this was the day that she and the Doctor would become of one mind and soul. He would bond his mind with hers forever. They would be able to see inside each other's hearts and understand without saying a word after today. She slipped out of the dress she was wearing and took down the royal blue robe with real silver trim and a powder blue sash that was also trimmed in silver that hung from her neck to her feet. She carefully put it on and then brushed her hair. Then she put the round silver cap on her head and brushed her hair again. She looked into her mirror and decided she liked the way her hair flowed around the cap and hung down her shoulders. She eased into a pair of silver slippers.

The last thing she had to put on was the collar. Hers was not as large as the one the Doctor would wear because she was an off-worlder, and didn't belong to any particular house. The collar was silver with royal blue trim, and also had royal blue Gallifreyan symbols on it. She looked in the mirror again and hoped the effect would please the Doctor. She picked up the silver box that contained the amulet with her name in High Gallifreyan. She didn't know how Jack had managed all this, but she knew she would be forever grateful to him for it. She let out her breath and headed back to see if the Doctor was ready yet. He was standing outside the door with his robe on when she opened it. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long my lord. You look quite elegant," she smiled at him.

The Doctor had never been much for protocol, so he hadn't had a clue as to what she would be wearing, and when she appeared, a vision in blue and silver, it literally took his breath away. She looked every inch a Time Lady, and for just this moment he realized that he loved her all the more for it. The man without a home was looking at his future, and for the first time he could see how it connected to his past.

But more than that, for the first time he realized just how important his past really was to him.

Finally he realized that for the second time today, he'd stopped breathing, and took a breath. He'd been prepared to feel this way about their wedding, and as special as that was, he saw for the first time what this bonding ceremony would really mean to him. So far, he'd been trying to be a part of her world. Now she was becoming a part of his.

"You look amazing," he finally said. "You know, I don't think I've ever been happier than I am at this moment."

Sarah smiled warmly at him and squeezed his hand. "I don't think I've ever been happier either."

He'd made a decision while he was waiting for her to get dressed. "I've a surprise for you," he said, and led her through the TARDIS until they came to an area she had never seen before. He navigated through several more hallways, stopping twice to get his bearings. Finally, he took a deep breath, and opened a single nondescript door. They stepped inside into a landscape he himself had not seen in perhaps centuries. "This," he said, motioning toward the deep green and orange valley through impossibly high mountains, "is where I grew up." A pair of silver twin moons hung large in the red-purple simulated sky. "Well, a facsimile of it, anyway."

Sarah's eyes grew wide as she looked around her. "Oh, Doctor," she said in a reverent whisper. "It's magnificent."

"Thank you. It took me quite some time to get it just right," he said, looking up at the stars. "But when I was exiled to Earth, I had a lot of time to work on it. I haven't really..." He took a deep breath. "I haven't been in here for a very long time, but I thought there's no better place for us to be bonded than this."

"I agree," Sarah said as she continued to look around. To her it was more sacred than any church could be. This was what Gallifrey looked like. This was the Doctor's home. She had always longed to see the real Gallifrey, not the wasteland that had been the setting for her one and only visit. Now she couldn't believe she had made it, even if it was the Doctor's version of Gallifrey in the TARDIS. She gazed up at the purple sky in awe. A huge red and gold bird flew across one of the beautiful silver blue moons and her heart almost stopped. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. She had no words to say how she felt.

He saw the tears, and knew how she felt. Gently, he kissed away her tears. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said.

There was no real protocol for where a bonding ceremony should be, so he led her to the center of a clearing. He'd never thought for a moment that he would ever be bonded with anyone. Even the arranged marriage he'd endured in his youth didn't culminate in a bonding ceremony. Now he was giving his lives, his very soul to one person. And he couldn't be happier.

He cleared a space and removed the bag he'd been carrying under his robes. Out of it he drew seven crystals and a bundle of wood in various sizes. Reverently, he arranged the wood and the crystals, and watched as energy gathered and ignited the wood in a mutlicolored flame.

"As we have agreed to be Bonded for all eternity," he said, in a deep voice that seemed to echo in the golden mountains surrounding them, "and exchange the six sacred vows, I give to you the symbol of my House." He took one last look at the silver chain and amulet he'd had ever since he was a child, and placed it around Sarah Jane's neck.

Sarah now opened up the box she was carrying with the amulet she had for him and took it out. She turned to face the Doctor. "As we have agreed to be Bonded for all eternity, and exchange the six sacred vows," she said. "I give to you the symbol of my House." She placed the silver chain and amulet around the Doctor's neck.

Then Sarah Jane and the Doctor crossed arms and joined hands, creating an infinity symbol as they did. Gazing deeply into each other's eyes they stood beneath the purple Gallifreyan sky and it's two silver blue moons. There before the Sacred Fire of Rassilon the Doctor had prepared, they took the Seven Bonding Vows.

The Doctor recited his vows to Sarah first. "I, the Doctor, pledge myself to you, Sarah Jane Smith. I now make the Seven Sacred Vows that will Bond us for all Eternity." The Sacred Fire suddenly grew, forming a protective shell around them, insulating them from the rest of the universe. Even the ground below their feet glowed cool with the Fire. "I vow the First vow," he said, "to treat you always with nobility and respect. I vow the Second vow, to always trust you and to place you above all others. I vow the Third vow, to always share the paths of my lives with you. I vow the Fourth vow, to find with you the fulfillment of our spiritual obligations. I vow the Fifth vow, to strive always for a healthy and peaceful life with you. I vow the Six vow, to give you true companionship for our entire lives long."

The Sacred Fire of Rassilon expanded suddenly, as though to fill all of space and time with their love. Then just as suddenly, it retracted back to the protective shell.

Sarah then recited her vows to the Doctor. "I Sarah Jane Smith, pledge myself to you, the Doctor. I now make the Seven Sacred Vows that will Bond us for all Eternity. I vow the First vow, to treat you always with nobility and respect. I vow the Second vow, to always trust you and to place you above above all others. I vow the Third Vow, to always share the paths of my lives with you. I vow the Fourth vow, to find with you the fulfillment of our spiritual obligations. I vow the Fifth vow, to strive always for a healthy and peaceful life with you. I vow the Six vow, to give you true companionship for our entire lives long."

The Sacred Fire once again expanded, but this time as it retracted back to the protective shell it stopped changing and took on a ghostly purple hue.

Together they recited the seventh and most holy vow. "I vow the Seventh Vow, to open myself to you completely and forever, throughout eternity."

"We have exchanged the seven sacred vows," the Doctor said, "and thus we may now be Bonded for all eternity." He closed his eyes and reached out, gathering the energy of the flame and taking it into himself, then directing it into the bond. The energy glowed within him, then circled the infinity symbol of their arms, and flowed into Sarah Jane, glowing within her. The TARDIS hummed as the energy flowed, and impossible music seemed to fill the air around them, growing to a crescendo and then suddenly, all was silent.

The Doctor opened his eyes and looked at Sarah. The Sacred Fire was out, the music was gone, even the humming had stopped. But his existance was far from silent. All that Sarah Jane was and would ever be filled him, and he could feel that she was experiencing him the same way. The bonding complete, he let go of her hand and caught her as she began to crumple under the weight of his Time Lord consciousness. 'It's all right,' he sent into her mind. The initial onslaught over, she could easily handle what would come later, at her request.

"We are now bonded," he said, his voice once again echoing across the mountains. "Let it be so for all eternity."

He made sure she was steady on her feet and turned her to face him, waiting for her reaction.

For quite some time, Sarah Jane said nothing. She held onto the Doctor's arm to keep her balance. Her eyes locked onto his. Finally, when she could stand on her own, she straightened herself and smiled at him. She understood so much now. She knew what the Doctor knew and saw things as he had seen them. She knew she would never be the same. The universe had unfolded before her in a way she could never imagine. She felt like a child whose eyes had just opened up upon a bright new universe. She smiled at the Doctor softly and with new knowledge. She was still Sarah Jane but now she had a part of the Doctor within her and she knew that she was a part of him now too. Eternity had a whole new meaning for her. It was theirs to share and love together in. She knew too that she didn't even have to tell him how she felt. He knew and she in turn could feel his knowledge of her. She reached out and touched his cheek. She laughed softly as she felt the warmth of his skin against her hand. 'Now you won't have to talk to yourself anymore, my lord.'

He practically purred with pleasure at the touch of her hand. 'No, not any more, my lady.'

They sat down on the orange grass and looked up at the Gallifreyan sky. For a while they would be completely open to each other. In time, the bonding would seal and though they would be more intimate than they had been with each other in the past, there would be more control over their bond. For now however, they were content to stare at the night sky and feel the sense of complete belonging and unity. This was the way it had always been on Gallifrey for newly bonded Time Lords and their Ladys. Now and forever, Sarah Jane and the Doctor were a part of Gallifrey and that bond.

* * *

The Doctor and Sarah fell asleep under the stars. In time, Sarah woke up and looked over at him. 'Funny,' she thought to herself. 'From the moment I first saw him so long ago, I've always loved him, but I've always longed to know more about him, to be closer to him. Even when we were traveling together and saw each other every day, he's always been a sort of enigma. Now I've seen into his very soul and I understand him perhaps more than he understands himself. What an amazing person he is. So giving, so caring, and yet so lost and alone for so long.'

She knew in many ways he was a lot like her. He had had a lonely childhood, just as she had. He had also felt a longing for something he couldn't describe, a need reach out, to be fulfilled, but had been uncertain of how to achieve it. His mind of course, was so complex compared to hers. But in spite of all he was and all he could do, he needed to be loved and accepted like any other person, perhaps even more so **because **he was so complex.

She used to stare at him at times when he wasn't watching and wonder who this man in front of her was. What would it take for him to let her into his life and into his hearts? She was there now and it made her happier than she had ever been before. She was his wife and his bond mate. It had been a long hard journey to get to this point, but oh, it was worth everything she had been through to be with him this way.

She wondered what he felt when he saw into her soul and felt everything that she was. Before they had fallen asleep, they had sat for hours without words, just feeling open to the universe and each other. She knew her mind was probably so simple to him because until recently, she had been human. She was certain he didn't feel anything like she had when the magnitude of his Gallifreyan being had entered her poor little brain. Was he amused? Disapointed? Maybe her female thought process confused him a bit.

She decided she was not going to ask. She was too afraid he'd laugh at her. As long as he didn't think he had made a mistake, she was happy.

She smiled as she saw his eyes start to flutter open.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor, meanwhile, had been lying there, in the netherworld between sleep and wakefulness, thinking about Sarah. An experienced telepath, he was able to control the flow of thoughts between himself and Sarah, but still, when her existence had opened to him, he'd been almost overwhelmed with the love and the purity of her. He'd been drawn to her from the moment he'd laid eyes on her, but never had he imagined they'd been so similar, so alike in their need for connection. A small part of him had discounted the possibility of being overwhelmed by her. After all, for so long she had been just a human. But when he'd been faced with the reality of her, it had been so much more than that. He felt her dreams, her fears, her regrets, but most of all her hopes. And those hopes were a universe of emotion and complexity that he hadn't for a moment considered.

He'd always been so attracted to humans as a species. That indomitable spirit of theirs, that drive to explore, he'd always loved it, always admired them, but at the same time he'd always thought of them something like brilliant apes. Now he was seeing the full majesty of the human mind, and it was more, so much more, than he had ever expected.

He could feel her staring at him and smiled, opening his eyes. "Good morning," he whispered, not wanting to break the spell.

She leaned closer to him and brushed her lips against his cheek. "Good morning my love."

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"So are you, you know," she said softly.

He smiled at her. The initial flood of contact between them had tapered off, as expected, but he still felt as though she were inside him somehow. "I never imagined that bonding with another person would be like that."

"I had no idea of what to expect, but I know that it was the most amazing feeling I've ever had in my entire life." When she closed her eyes, she could still feel him inside of her mind. "I don't want to move right now. I want to feel this way forever."

He breathed deep, relishing the scent of her as it filled his lungs and his being. "I like that idea."

She sighed contentedly, then timidly reached out to him with her mind. She jumped a little as she found him and then sighed again. 'Hello you,' she smiled.

'Hello you,' he said back to her, but in his mind. He still felt spread out through her mind, and he liked the feeling of having her in his.

She thought about kissing him and realized he could feel that too. She smiled and went with it, experimenting with what she could do. 'Mmmm, I really like this.'

He felt a thrill through him as she thought about kissing him. It was unexpected, and he wondered what else they could feel this way. Perhaps a little experimentation on his part...

About a half an hour later Sarah looked over at him breathlessly and finally broke the silence between them. "You are an amazing man my lord, and I love you so much," she smiled intimately at him.

The Doctor, still out of breath, just looked at her for a few moments, a huge goofy smile on his face. "Sarah Jane, there are no words in this universe that can tell you how I feel about you."

Sarah put her head back and laughed. "Darling, who needs words anymore? Not us."

He laughed with her. "It won't stay this way, of course, but for now, let's just enjoy it."

"How will it eventually end up? I'd like to know what to expect. I hope it isn't much less than this," she said pensively.

"Well, we'll still be able to ... commune like this, but it won't be so ... automatic. It'll be more deliberate, something we need to work out, rather than just randomly there. Normally we'll just be ... a bit more intimate than we were before."

Sarah thought about it. No sense in being too concerned about it right now. She knew in time and with practice it would become more natural to her. She would eventually get used to it and she would learn how to better control her thoughts. She snuggled into the Doctor's shoulder and just enjoyed being there with him.

* * *

**Several months later...**

Sarah Jane happily puttered around the galley, whipping up the Doctor's favorite desert. In the months since the wedding, the two of them had been happily content living and traveling together in the TARDIS. They had also adjusted to being bonded, and had spent most of their honeymoon just smiling blissfully at each other like mindless idiots. Sarah Jane had recently developed a cold, however, and was at the moment achy, exhausted and dealing with nausea. She finished cooking and headed over to the infirmary. "TARDIS, I need you to scan me and tell me your findings."

"Yes, Mistress," the TARDIS answered.

A few moments later, Sarah was staring at the readouts in confusion. "TARDIS, run that scan again and tell me the results when you do."

The TARDIS complied and Sarah saw that the results were exactly the same. "How is this possible?" she asked.

* * *

Sarah had set the table and lit the candles, knowing that soon the Doctor would walk in for dinner. She went to get their meal and when she got back, the Doctor was standing there looking at the flowers on the table. "Hello, I hope you're hungry, I made all your favorites."

The Doctor surveyed the room in awe. "You didn't have to do this," he said, giving her a kiss. "Especially when you're not feeling well."

"I wanted to do it darling. Please sit down," she said as she put their dinner on the table.

He did, staring hard at her. "Is everything all right? You seem ... er ... nervous."

"I promise you everything is fine," she said. "There is something I'd like to talk to you about, though."

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble to talk to me, I mean, I'm here all the time. You don't even have to talk, in fact, because of the bond, you know, and --"

She put her hand up to his lips. "Darling, you need to just let me talk to you. Trust me, it's important."

The Doctor reluctantly closed his mouth and looked at her expectantly.

She smiled softly at him. "You know how much I love you. don't you?"

He nodded, her finger still on his lips.

She took her fingers away and sat down across from him. "You make me so happy, and there has always been only one other thing I could want to make me feel complete."

He nodded sadly. They'd discussed having children on countless occasions, always coming back to the Curse of Pythia. "I'm sorry about that."

"I know you are, but what if we could have children, how would you feel about it?" She looked anxiously at him.

He took her hands gently in his, inwardly dreading having this conversation yet again. It seemed like every time he resigned himself to being the last existing piece of Gallifrey, something would come up to remind him, yet again, of what he was missing. "Sarah darling, you know one of the things I love most about you is that you never give up when you want something, but I'm afraid this is something we're just not going to be able to work out. Time Lords are sterile. I'm so sorry."

"I know, but all I'm asking you is, how would you feel about it if we could have children?"

"I'd love it," he said. He meant it, too. "There is nothing in the universe I'd love more than to have a living, breathing expression of how much I love you."

"Do you remember telling me about the Curse of the Pythia when we talked about having children?" She smiled somewhat coyly at him.

"Yes." He looked suspiciously at her. Something was definitely up.

"Did it ever occur to you that when Gallifrey was gone, as well as the Sisterhood on Karn, that the curse might be broken?" She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for his reaction.

The Doctor thought about that for a moment. The Sisterhood were the descendants of the Pythia, and Karn had been destroyed in the war.... "Are you ... are you trying to tell me ..." His head was swimming with the possibility. "Seriously ...?"

She smiled widely now and nodded her head. "Yes, seriously. The TARDIS confirmed it, and I made her check the results, twice!"

He stood up. "You're ... that is to say ..." He got down on his knees in front of her and leaned in close to her stomach. "There's a baby in there?"

Sarah was beaming with joy now. "Yes, and it's ours. Congratulations, Daddy!"

The Doctor jumped up and scooped her into his arms. "And congratulations, Mummy! You hear that? Your mum's to be congratulated," he told her stomach. "Congratulations, Mum!" he said, in a mock baby voice. "You see? He's participating already. It's our child, so he's bound to be brilliant."

Sarah laughed and hugged him back. "He? It could be a girl in there, you know. I'm imagining a little face with pretty doll-like features, long lashes, dark eyes like yours and a thick head of wispy brown hair. She or he's going to be the most beautiful baby in the universe."

"Of course he or she is. And he or she is going to have the happiest parents in the universe."

Sarah put his hand up to her stomach. "Can you sense the baby Time Lord in there yet?"

He closed his eyes and opened his mind. He could feel Sarah's consciousness intertwined with his, and for a moment he got lost in that. Then he remembered what he was looking for, and ... "Yes! I can!" It was ever so faint, but he could feel the tiny stirrings of a real live baby Time Lord. "The first Time Lord baby ever."

"Our baby, now let's celebrate sweetheart, before our dinner gets too cold to eat." 

He set her back down in her chair, then knelt before her and kissed her tummy, then her lips. Then he sat down and raised his glass. "To our family. All of them, old and new."

"Now that's really something to drink to." She was still smiling as she clinked her glass of juice with his.

"You know," the Doctor said animatedly, "we should check on Martha and see if she's had her baby yet. They could play together! And Jack is going to love being an uncle, and ..." He realized she was staring at him, smiling. "Looks like this baby's got the biggest ready-made family in the universe."

* * *

**Author's note:**

What? No shoe dropping? No aliens invading the TARDIS? Now, we couldn't let THAT happen! We just thought they could use a break. Stay tuned for our next story, "TARDIS Troubles," to see what happens when the Doctor and Sarah finally run into trouble...


End file.
